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Heme oxygenase-1 is involved in ascorbic acid-induced alleviation of cadmium toxicity in root tissues of Medicago sativa

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Abstract

Aims

This study explored molecular mechanism of ascorbic acid (AsA)-mediated enhancement of plant tolerance against cadmium (Cd) stress.

Methods

Complex pharmacological, histochemical and molecular approaches were applied to analyse the effect of AsA on the alleviation of Cd stress and corresponding signalling pathway.

Results

Cd stress brought about severe oxidative damage and remarkable decrease in AsA content in alfalfa (Medicago sativa) seedling roots. Exogenous AsA not only increased AsA content in vivo, and strengthened the up-regulation of alfalfa heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) transcript and HO activity triggered by Cd, but also significantly decreased Cd accumulation and oxidative damage, which was confirmed by the histochemical analysis. The responses of AsA were further impaired by the potent inhibitor of HO-1, zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP), which were blocked further when 50 % saturation of carbon monoxide (CO) aqueous solution (in particular) or bilirubin (BR), two catalytic by-products of HO-1, was added, respectively. Molecular evidence illustrated that AsA-triggered the up-regulation of antioxidant enzyme genes, especially Mn-SOD and POD, were sensitive to ZnPP and reversed by CO.

Conclusions

In short, above results suggested that cytoprotective roles triggered by AsA might be, at least partially, through HO-1-dependent fashion by the induction of antioxidant system and lowering Cd accumulation.

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Abbreviations

APX:

Ascorbate peroxidase

AsA:

Ascorbic acid

BR:

Bilirubin

BV:

Biliverdin IXα

CO:

Carbon monoxide

EF-2:

Elongation factor 2

HO:

Heme oxygenase

HO-1:

Heme oxygenase-1

Mn-SOD:

Manganese superoxide dismutase

POD:

Guaiacol peroxidase

TBARS:

Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances

ZnPP:

Zinc protoporphyrin IX

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 30971711) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (grant no. KYZ200905).

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  1. College of Life Sciences, Co. Laboratory of Nanjing Agricultural University and Carl Zeiss Far East, Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, People,s Republic of China

    Qijiang Jin, Kaikai Zhu, Yanjie Xie & Wenbiao Shen

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  1. Qijiang Jin
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  2. Kaikai Zhu
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Correspondence to Wenbiao Shen.

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Jin, Q., Zhu, K., Xie, Y. et al. Heme oxygenase-1 is involved in ascorbic acid-induced alleviation of cadmium toxicity in root tissues of Medicago sativa. Plant Soil 366, 605–616 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1451-9

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