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Application of X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy to the study of the effect of sulphur on selenium uptake and assimilation in wheat seedlings

  • Original paper
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Biologia Plantarum

Abstract

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for humans and animals. A hydroponic experiment was performed to study the effects of sulphur (S) on Se uptake, translocation, and assimilation in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings. Sulphur starvation had a positive effect on selenate uptake and the form of Se supplied greatly influenced Se speciation in plants. Compared with the control plants, Se uptake by the S-starved plants was enhanced by 4.81-fold in the selenate treatment, and selenate was readily transported from roots to shoots. By contrast, S starvation had no significant effect on selenite uptake, and selenite taken up by roots was rapidly converted to organic forms and tended to accumulate in roots. X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) analysis showed that organic forms of selenium, including selenocystine, Se-methyl-selenocysteine (MeSeCys), and selenomethionine-Se-oxide, were dominant in the plants exposed to selenite and accounted for approximately 90 % of the total Se. Whereas selenate remained as the dominant species in the roots and shoots exposed to selenate, with little selenate converted to selenite and MeSeCys. Besides, sulphur starvation increased the proportion of inorganic Se species in the selenate-supplied plants, but had no significant effects on Se speciation in plants exposed to selenite. The present study provides important knowledge to understand the associated mechanism of Se uptake and metabolism in plants.

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Abbreviations

APS:

ATP sulphurylase

γ-Glu-MeSeCys:

γ-glutamyl-Se-methyl-selenocysteine

MeSeCys:

Se-methylselenocysteine

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

SeCys2 :

selenocystine

SeMet:

selenomethionine

SeOMet:

selenomethionine-Seoxide

XANES:

X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, P.R. China

    Q. Q. Huang, Q. Wang, Y. N. Wan, Y. Yu, R. F. Jiang & H. F. Li

  2. Institute of Agro-Environmental Protection, Ministry of Agriculture, Tianjin, 300191, P.R. China

    Q. Q. Huang

Authors
  1. Q. Q. Huang
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  2. Q. Wang
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  3. Y. N. Wan
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  4. Y. Yu
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  5. R. F. Jiang
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  6. H. F. Li
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Correspondence to H. F. Li.

Additional information

Acknowledgements: The National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41073094 and No. 41471271) and the special fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest of China (No. 201303106) financially supported this work. The synchrotron analysis of this research was undertaken at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Shanghai, China.

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Huang, Q.Q., Wang, Q., Wan, Y.N. et al. Application of X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy to the study of the effect of sulphur on selenium uptake and assimilation in wheat seedlings. Biol Plant 61, 726–732 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-016-0698-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-016-0698-z

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