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Aluminum distribution and reactive oxygen species accumulation in root tips of two Melaleuca trees differing in aluminum resistance

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Abstract

To elucidate the mechanism of the high aluminum (Al) resistance of a Myrtaceae tree, Melaleuca cajuputi Powell, we investigated the responses of root tips to Al and compared them with those of an Al-sensitive species, M. bracteata F. Muell. Roots of seedlings of both species were treated with a calcium solution (pH 4.0) containing 0 or 1 mM AlCl3. After 3 h of Al treatment, inhibition of root elongation and deposition of callose and lignin in root tips, typical signs of Al injury, were induced in M. bracteata but not in M. cajuputi, yet Al accumulation in root tips was similar in both species. These results indicate that internal Al tolerance mechanisms, not Al exclusion mechanisms, are responsible for the Al resistance of M. cajuputi. After 3 h of Al treatment, amount of Al tightly bound to root tips, Al remaining after washing with a desorbing solution, was less in M. cajuputi than in M. bracteata. In M. bracteata, 6 h of Al treatment triggered the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in root tips despite the upregulation of antioxidant mechanisms, activity of peroxidase and concentration of reduced glutathione. In M. cajuputi, 6 h of Al treatment did not affect the concentration of H2O2, but decreased activity of peroxidase, and increased concentration of reduced glutathione in root tips. These results suggest that the less Al tightly bound to root tips is involved in the suppressing the H2O2 accumulation and the internal Al tolerance in M. cajuputi, and that the H2O2 accumulation or changes in cellular environment that bring about H2O2 accumulation despite the upregulation of antioxidant mechanisms results in Al-induced inhibition of root elongation in M. bracteata.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research and a 21st Century Center of Excellence Program from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan and by the Global Environment Research Fund from the Ministry of the Environment of Japan.

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  1. Ko Tahara

    Present address: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 1 Matsunosato, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Asian Natural Environmental Science Center, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan

    Ko Tahara, Takashi Yamanoshita, Mariko Norisada & Katsumi Kojima

  2. College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-8510, Japan

    Ko Tahara, Isao Hasegawa, Hiroyuki Kashima & Satohiko Sasaki

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  1. Ko Tahara
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Correspondence to Ko Tahara.

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Responsible Editor: Thomas B. Kinraide.

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Tahara, K., Yamanoshita, T., Norisada, M. et al. Aluminum distribution and reactive oxygen species accumulation in root tips of two Melaleuca trees differing in aluminum resistance. Plant Soil 307, 167–178 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-008-9593-5

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