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Hydrogen sulfide partly mediates abscisic acid-induced heat tolerance in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) suspension cultured cells

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Abstract

Abscisic acid (ABA), a plant hormone, plays crucial roles in plant growth, development and response to environmental stress. Recently, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) also has emerged similar functions, but interaction between ABA and H2S in the acquisition of heat tolerance is not clear. In this study, pretreatment of tobacco suspension cultured cells with ABA improved the survival percentage and regrowth ability, alleviated a decrease in cell vitality, increase in malondialdehyde content and electrolyte leakage of cells under heat stress, suggesting that ABA pretreatment could improve the heat tolerance of tobacco cells. In addition, treatment with ABA induced the accumulation of endogenous H2S in both tobacco cells and culture medium, increased the activity of l-cysteine desulfhydrase, a key enzyme in H2S biosynthesis. Also, ABA-induced heat tolerance was enhanced by addition of NaHS, a H2S donor, but weakened by dl-propargylglycine (specific inhibitor of H2S biosynthesis) and hypotaurine (H2S scavenger) respectively. These results suggest that ABA pretreatment could improve the heat tolerance of tobacco suspension cultured cells, and H2S, at least partly, mediated the acquisition of heat tolerance induced by ABA.

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Abbreviations

ABA:

Abscisic acid

APX:

Ascorbate peroxidase

ASC:

Ascorbic acid

CAT:

Catalase

FW:

Fresh weight

GR:

Glutathione reductase

GSH:

Glutathione

H2S:

Hydrogen sulfide

HT:

Hypotaurine

LCD:

l-Cysteine desulfhydrase

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

NO:

Nitric oxide

PAG:

dl-Propargylglycine

POD:

Guaiacol peroxidase

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

TTC:

Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride

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Acknowledgments

This research is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (31360057). We appreciate the reviewers and editors for their exceptionally helpful comments about the manuscript.

Author’s contribution

Zhong-Guang Li implemented assumption, excogitation and wrote the paper, Jia-Zheng Jin carried through research and analysis of data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, 650092, People’s Republic of China

    Zhong-Guang Li & Jia-Zheng Jin

  2. Engineering Research Center of Sustainable Development and Utilization of Biomass Energy, Ministry of Education, Kunming, 650092, People’s Republic of China

    Zhong-Guang Li & Jia-Zheng Jin

  3. Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Environmental Biotechnology, Yunnan Province, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, 650092, People’s Republic of China

    Zhong-Guang Li & Jia-Zheng Jin

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  1. Zhong-Guang Li
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Correspondence to Zhong-Guang Li.

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Li, ZG., Jin, JZ. Hydrogen sulfide partly mediates abscisic acid-induced heat tolerance in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) suspension cultured cells. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 125, 207–214 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-015-0939-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-015-0939-4

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