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Arsenite tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa L.) involves coordinated role of metabolic pathways of thiols and amino acids

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Abstract

Thiolic ligands and several amino acids (AAs) are known to build up in plants against heavy metal stress. In the present study, alteration of various AAs in rice and its synchronized role with thiolic ligand was explored for arsenic (As) tolerance and detoxification. To understand the mechanism of As tolerance and stress response, rice seedlings of one tolerant (Triguna) and one sensitive (IET-4786) cultivar were exposed to arsenite (0–25 μM) for 7 days for various biochemical analyses using spectrophotometer, HPLC and ICPMS. Tolerant and sensitive cultivars respond differentially in terms of thiol metabolism, essential amino acids (EEAs) and nonessential amino acids (NEEAs) vis-á-vis As accumulation. Thiol biosynthesis-related enzymes were positively correlated to As accumulation in Triguna. Conversely, these enzymes, cysteine content and GSH/GSSG ratio declined significantly in IET-4786 upon As exposure. The level of identified phytochelatin (PC) species (PC2, PC3 and PC4) and phytochelatin synthase activity were also more pronounced in Triguna than IET-4786. Nearly all EAAs were negatively affected by As-induced oxidative stress (except phenylalanine in Triguna), but more significantly in IET-4786 than Triguna. However, most of the stress-responsive NEAAs like glutamic acid, histidine, alanine, glycine, tyrosine, cysteine and proline were enhanced more prominently in Triguna than IET-4786 upon As exposure. The study suggests that IET-4786 appears sensitive to As due to reduction of AAs and thiol metabolic pathway. However, a coordinated response of thiolic ligands and stress-responsive AAs seems to play role for As tolerance in Triguna to achieve the effective complexation of As by PCs.

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Abbreviations

Ala:

Alanine

Arg:

Arginine

As:

Arsenic

AsIII :

Arsenite

Asp:

Aspartic acid

CS:

Cysteine synthase

Cys:

Cysteine

EEAs:

Essential amino acids

Glu:

Glutamic acid

GSH:

Reduced glutathione

GSSG:

Oxidized glutathione

GST:

Glutathione-S-transferase

γ-ECS:

γ-Glutamyl cysteine synthase

γ-GT:

γ-Glutamyl transpeptidase

Gly:

Glycine

His:

Histidine

Ile:

Isoleucine

Leu:

Leucine

Lys:

Lysine

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

Met:

Methionine

NEEAs:

Non-essential amino acids

PC:

Phytochelatin

PCS:

Phytochelatin synthase

Phe:

Phenylalanine

Pro:

Proline

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SAT:

Serine acetyl transferase

Ser:

Serine

Thr:

Threonine

Tyr:

Tyrosine

Val:

Valine

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to Dr. C. S. Nautiyal, Director, CSIR - National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, for the facilities and for the financial support from the network projects (CSIR), New Delhi, India. Preeti Tripathi is thankful to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, India, for the award of Senior Research Fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIR - National Botanical Research Institute, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, - 226001, India

    Preeti Tripathi, Rudra Deo Tripathi, Sanjay Dwivedi, Debasis Chakrabarty & Prabodh K. Trivedi

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar (Central) University, Rae Bareily Road, Lucknow, - 226025, India

    Preeti Tripathi & Rana Pratap Singh

  3. Rice Research Station, Chinsurah, Hooghly, Department of Agriculture, Government of West Bengal, - 712102, India

    Bijan Adhikari

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  1. Preeti Tripathi
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  2. Rudra Deo Tripathi
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  3. Rana Pratap Singh
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  4. Sanjay Dwivedi
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  5. Debasis Chakrabarty
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  6. Prabodh K. Trivedi
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  7. Bijan Adhikari
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Correspondence to Rudra Deo Tripathi.

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Tripathi, P., Tripathi, R.D., Singh, R.P. et al. Arsenite tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa L.) involves coordinated role of metabolic pathways of thiols and amino acids. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 884–896 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1205-5

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