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Initial Steps of Copper Detoxification: Outside and Inside of the Plant Cell

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Book cover Detoxification of Heavy Metals

Part of the book series: Soil Biology ((SOILBIOL,volume 30))

Abstract

The analysis of modern data about the mechanisms of copper detoxification and regulation of its homeostasis in plant cells under conditions of its excess in ambient medium is presented. Copper (Cu) is most toxic heavy metal, which trace amounts are required to sustain plant life (so-called essential elements), but its high concentrations cause plant death. In plants, copper occurs in reduced (Cu+) and oxidized (Cu2+) states, and also as nanoparticles of metallic copper. In the cytoplasm of the plant cell, free Cu ions are essentially absent, which indicates functioning of the efficient system of its detoxification. This system comprises phytochelatins, metallothioneins, metallochaperons, and membrane transporters. The emphasis is on discussion of poorly studied problem of copper ion detoxification in the apoplast. It is demonstrated that apoplastic Cu pool may comprise a great, sometimes dominating part of Cu absorbed by the plant, especially at its excess in medium. Chemical and structural changes occurring in the cell wall under the influence of excessive Cu concentrations allow consideration of the cell wall as an important component of the system of plant adaptation to copper. Discussing current methods and approaches used for quantification of apoplastic and symplastic copper pools has a significant place in the review. The role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi producing an extraradical mycelium in metal ion immobilization is considered. Finally, few available experimental data concerning the effects of metallic copper nanoparticles on plants are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Professor Nella L. Klaychko from the Institute of Plant Physiology (Moscow, Russia) for valuable discussions and interesting ideas. This work was partially supported by the grants of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (No. 10-04-00799_a and No. 10-04-90456-ukr_a) and by the Program of the Presidium of RAS “Molecular and Cell Biology.”

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  1. Laboratory of Physiological and Molecular Mechanisms of Adaptation, Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology RAS, Botanicheskaya ul., 35, Moscow, 127276, Russia

    Valentina P. Kholodova, Elena M. Ivanova & Vladimir V. Kuznetsov

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  1. Valentina P. Kholodova
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  2. Elena M. Ivanova
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  3. Vladimir V. Kuznetsov
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Correspondence to Valentina P. Kholodova .

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  1. , Inst. Allgemeine Botanik u. Pflanzenphys, Universität Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, Jena, 07743, Germany

    Irena Sherameti

  2. Amity Institute of Microbial Sciences, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, 201303, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Ajit Varma

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Kholodova, V.P., Ivanova, E.M., Kuznetsov, V.V. (2011). Initial Steps of Copper Detoxification: Outside and Inside of the Plant Cell. In: Sherameti, I., Varma, A. (eds) Detoxification of Heavy Metals. Soil Biology, vol 30. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21408-0_8

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