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Protective systems against active oxygen species in spinach: response to cold acclimation in excess light

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Abstract

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) plants were acclimated to 1° C or maintained at 18° C under the same light regime (260–300 μmol photons·m−2·s−1). The cold acclimation led to several metabolic and biochemical changes that apparently include improved protection of the photosynthetic apparatus against active oxygen species. In particular, cold-acclimated leaves exhibited a considerably higher ascorbate content and significantly increased activities of superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and monodehydroascorbate reductase in the chloroplasts. The level of dehydroascorbate reductase did not alter. Catalase activity decreased. The photosynthetic pigment composition of cold-acclimated spinach was characterized by increased levels of the xanthophylls lutein + zeaxanthin and violaxanthin. The observed changes are discussed in terms of their possible relevance for plant resistance to photoinhibition at chilling temperatures.

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Abbreviations

DHA:

dehydroascorbate

GSH:

reduced glutathione

MDA:

monodehydroascorbate

SOD:

superoxide dismutase

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Biochemistry of Plants, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, D-4000, Düsseldorf 1, Germany

    Susanne Schöner & G. Heinrich Krause

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  1. Susanne Schöner
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  2. G. Heinrich Krause
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The authors thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for financial support of this study.

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Schöner, S., Heinrich Krause, G. Protective systems against active oxygen species in spinach: response to cold acclimation in excess light. Planta 180, 383–389 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01160394

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01160394

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