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Protection of winter rape photosystem 2 by 24-epibrassinolide under cadmium stress

  • Brief Communication
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Photosynthetica

Abstract

Seedlings of winter rape were cultured in vitro on media containing 24-epibrassinolide, EBR (100 nM) and cadmium (300 µM). After 14 d of growth, fast fluorescence kinetics of chlorophyll (Chl) a and contents of photosynthetic pigments and Cd in cotyledons were measured. Cd was strongly accumulated but its content in cotyledons was 14.7 % smaller in the presence of EBR. Neither Cd nor EBR influenced the contents of Chl a and b and carotenoids. Cd lowered the specific energy fluxes per excited cross section (CS) of cotyledon. The number of active reaction centres (RC) of photosystem 2 (RC/CS) decreased by about 21.0 % and the transport of photosynthetic electrons (ET0/CS) by about 17.1 %. Simultaneously, under the influence of Cd, the activity of O2 evolving centres (OEC) diminished by about 19.5 % and energy dissipation (DI0/CS) increased by about 14.6 %. In the cotyledons of seedlings grown on media without Cd, EBR induced only a small increase in the activity of most photochemical reactions per CS. However, EBR strongly affected seedlings cultured with cadmium. Specific energy fluxes TR0/CS and ET0/CS of the cotyledons of plants Cd+EBR media were about 10.9 and 20.9 % higher, respectively, than values obtained for plants grown with Cd only. EBR also limited the increase of DI0/CS induced by Cd and simultaneously protected the complex of OEC against a decrease of activity. Hence EBR reduces the toxic effect of Cd on photochemical processes by diminishing the damage of photochemical RCs and OECs as well as maintaining efficient photosynthetic electron transport.

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Abbreviations

ABS:

absorption

BR:

brassinosteroids

Car:

carotenoids

Cd:

cadmium ion (Cd2+)

Chl:

chlorophyll

CS:

cross section of the sample

DI0 :

energy dissipation

EBR:

24-epibrassinolide

ET:

energy flux for electron transport

OEC:

oxygen evolving complexes (centres)

QA :

primary bound plastoquinone

PS2:

photosystem 2

RC:

reaction centre

Tr0 :

energy flux for trapping

ϕPo :

maximum quantum yield of primary photochemistry

ψ0 :

efficiency with a trapped exciton can move an electron into the electron transport chain further than QA −

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Franciszek Gorski Institute of Plant Physiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Niezapominajek 21, 30-239, Krakow, Poland

    A. Janeczko, M. Pilipowicz & A. Skoczowski

  2. Department of Plant Physiology, Agricultural University, Al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120, Krakow, Poland

    J. Koscielniak

  3. The Wladyslaw Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512, Krakow, Poland

    G. Szarek-Lukaszewska

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  1. A. Janeczko
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  2. J. Koscielniak
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  3. M. Pilipowicz
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  4. G. Szarek-Lukaszewska
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  5. A. Skoczowski
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Correspondence to A. Janeczko.

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Janeczko, A., Koscielniak, J., Pilipowicz, M. et al. Protection of winter rape photosystem 2 by 24-epibrassinolide under cadmium stress. Photosynthetica 43, 293–298 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-005-0048-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-005-0048-4

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