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Salt affects plant Cd-stress responses by modulating growth and Cd accumulation

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Abstract

Cadmium contamination is a serious environmental problem for modern agriculture and human health. Salinity affects plant growth and development, and interactions between salt and cadmium have been reported. However, the molecular mechanisms of salinity–cadmium interactions are not fully understood. Here, we show that a low concentration of salt alleviates Cd-induced growth inhibition and increases Cd accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Supplementation with low concentrations of salt reduced the reactive oxygen species level in Cd-stressed roots by increasing the contents of proline and glutathione and down-regulating the expression of RCD1, thereby protecting the plasma membrane integrity of roots under cadmium stress. Salt supplementation substantially reduces the Cd-induced elevation of IAA oxidase activity, thereby maintaining auxin levels in Cd-stressed plants, as indicated by DR5::GUS expression. Salt supply increased Cd absorption in roots and increased Cd accumulation in leaves, implying that salt enhances both Cd uptake in roots and the root-to-shoot translocation of Cd. The elevated Cd accumulation in plants in response to salt was found to be correlated with the elevated levels of phytochelatin the expression of heavy metal transporters AtHMA1-4, especially AtHMA4. Salt alleviated growth inhibition caused by Cd and increased Cd accumulation also was observed in Cd accumulator Solanum nigrum.

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Abbreviations

CM-H2DCFDA:

5-(and -6)-Chloromethyl-2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate, acetylester

PC:

Phytochelatin

PI:

Propidium iodide

X-Gluc:

5-Bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-β-d-glucuronic acid cyclohexyl-ammonium

GR:

Glutathione reductase

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Acknowledgments

The authors truly appreciate the time that the editor and two anonymous reviewers spent on helping to clarify the confusions and modify the paper. This research was supported by the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant no. 0707013603) and the National Major Special Project on New Varieties Cultivation for Transgenic Organisms (Grant no. 2009ZX08009-130B).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Center for Agricultural Resources, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, 050021, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China

    Jin Xu, Hengxia Yin, Xiaojing Liu & Xia Li

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  1. Jin Xu
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  3. Xiaojing Liu
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Correspondence to Jin Xu or Xia Li.

Electronic supplementary material

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425_2009_1070_MOESM1_ESM.tif

Supplemental Fig. S1 Cadmium toxicity in Solanum nigrum seedlings is reduced by an appropriate concentration of salt. Seven-day-old seedlings were treated with different concentration of CdCl2 and 25 mM NaCl or their combination for 10 d. a Representative images showing seedling growth under different treatments as described above. b Primary root length. c Cd content. Vertical bars represent ±standard error. Different letters indicate significant differences, 5% level, Duncan’s mutiple range test. ck, untreated-control plants (TIFF 301 kb)

425_2009_1070_MOESM2_ESM.tif

Supplemental Fig. S2 NaCl reduced ROS accumulation and improved plasma membrane integrity (PI staining) under cadmium stress in roots of S. nigrum. ck, untreated-control plants (TIFF 205 kb)

425_2009_1070_MOESM3_ESM.tif

Supplemental Fig. S3 Effects of CdCl2, NaCl, and their combination on the accumulation of a proline, b glutathione and c phytochelatin in the leaves of S. nigrum seedlings. Vertical bars represent ±standard error. Different letters indicate significant differences, 5% level, Duncan’s mutiple range test. ck, untreated-control plants (TIFF 264 kb)

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Xu, J., Yin, H., Liu, X. et al. Salt affects plant Cd-stress responses by modulating growth and Cd accumulation. Planta 231, 449–459 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-009-1070-8

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