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Cell wall polysaccharides are involved in P-deficiency-induced Cd exclusion in Arabidopsis thaliana

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Abstract

The physiological and molecular mechanisms leading to the competitive interactions between phosphorus (P) and metal elements are a matter of debate. In this study, we found that P deficiency can alleviate cadmium (Cd) toxicity in Arabidopsis thaliana (Col-0). Under P deficiency (−P), less Cd was accumulated in the plants and the root cell walls, indicating the operation of a P-deficiency-induced Cd exclusion mechanism. However, organic acid efflux was similar under −P+Cd and +Cd treatments, suggesting that organic acid efflux is not responsible for the Cd exclusion. Interestingly, P deficiency significantly decreased cell wall polysaccharides (pectin and hemicellulose) contents and pectin methylesterase activity, and decreased the Cd retained by the extracted root cell wall. Therefore, we conclude that the modification of cell wall composition is responsible for the Cd exclusion of the root under P deficiency.

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Abbreviations

Cd:

Cadmium

P:

Phosphorus

PME:

Pectin methylesterase

HC1:

Hemicellulose 1

SPAD:

Soil plant analysis development

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

CK:

Control check

AO:

Alcohol oxidase

TBA:

Thiobarbituric acid

TFA:

Trifluoroacetic acid

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Changjiang Scholarship and Changjiang Innovation Team (IRT1185), Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30830076), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities. We thank Yun Rong Wu for providing the P deficient acidic soil. Thanks are also given to three anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions to improve the quality of the work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife of the Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Xiao Fang Zhu, Gui Jie Lei, Tao Jiang, Yu Liu & Shao Jian Zheng

  2. State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Xiao Fang Zhu & Shao Jian Zheng

  3. College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Gui Xin Li

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  1. Xiao Fang Zhu
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  2. Gui Jie Lei
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Correspondence to Gui Xin Li.

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Zhu, X.F., Lei, G.J., Jiang, T. et al. Cell wall polysaccharides are involved in P-deficiency-induced Cd exclusion in Arabidopsis thaliana . Planta 236, 989–997 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-012-1652-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-012-1652-8

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