Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Responses of free amino acids in rice seedlings during cyanide metabolism

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Responses of free amino acids to botanical assimilation of free cyanide were investigated. Young rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L. cv. XZX 45) were grown in nutrient solution amended with free cyanide (KCN). Cyanide was analyzed in solution as well as in plant materials to estimate the phyto-assimilation potential. Free amino acids in different parts of plants were also measured to determine metabolic responses to KCN exposure. Phyto-assimilation of KCN was obvious, and the rates were positively correlated to the concentration supplied. Although changes in total amino acid content in plant materials were negligible during KCN metabolism (p > 0.05), responses of different amino acids to KCN treatments were quite different. All treatments with KCN increased the content of proline (Pro) and isoleucine (Ile) in roots significantly compared with control (p < 0.05), while changes of aspartic acid, lysine, and histidine in roots were more evident at higher KCN treatments (p < 0.05). Results indicate that the content of Pro, Ile, and tyrosine showed pronounced increase in shoots of rice seedlings exposed to KCN at 1.44 mg CN/L or higher (p < 0.05). Other amino acids slightly changed in all plant materials exposed to KCN (p > 0.05). Results indicate that specific amino acids in rice seedlings showed positive response to non-toxic concentrations of exogenous KCN. These findings could provide additional insights into the inducible mechanisms underlying the involvement of amino acids in KCN metabolism.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Binder S, Knill T, Schuster J (2007) Branched-chain amino acid metabolism in higher plants. Physiol Plant 129:68–78

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cuin TA, Shabala S (2007) Amino acids regulate salinity-induced potassium efflux in barley root epidermis. Planta 225:753–761

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Delfine S, Alvino A, Villani MC, Loreto F (1999) Restrictions to carbon dioxide conductance and photosynthesis in spinach leaves recovering from salt stress. Plant Physiol 119:1101–1106

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Di Martino C, Delfine S, Pizzuto R, Loreto F, Fuggi A (2003) Free amino acids and glycine betaine in leaf osmoregulation of spinach responding to increasing salt stress. New Phytol 158:455–463

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ebbs SD (2004) Biological degradation of cyanide compounds. Curr Opin Biotech 15:231–236

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ebbs SD, Piccinin RC, Goodger JQD, Kolev SD, Woodrow IE, Baker AJM (2008) Transport of ferrocyanide by two eucalypt species and sorghum. Int J Phytorem 10:343–357

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ebbs SD, Kosma D, Nielson EH, Machingura M, Baker AJM, Woodrow IE (2010) Nitrogen supply and cyanide concentration influence the enrichment of nitrogen from cyanide in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.). Plant Cell Environ 33:1152–1160

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goudey JS, Tittle FL, Spencer MS (1989) A role for ethylene in the metabolism of cyanide by higher plants. Plant Physiol 89:1306–1310

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton EW, Heckathorn SA (2001) Mitochondrial adaptations to NaCl. Complex I is protected by anti-oxidants and small heat shock proteins, whereas complex II is protected by proline and betaine. Plant Physiol 126:1266–1274

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hasegawa R, Maruyama A, Sasaki H, Tada T, Esashi Y (1995) Possible involvement of ethylene-activated β-cyanoalanine synthase in the regulation of cocklebur seed germination. J Exp Bot 46:551–556

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hasegawa PM, Bressan RA, Zhu JK, Bohnert HJ (2000) Plant cellular and molecular responses to high salinity. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 55:373–399

    Google Scholar 

  • Joshi V, Joung JG, Fei ZJ, Jander G (2010) Interdependence of threonine, methionine and isoleucine metabolism in plants: accumulation and transcriptional regulation under abiotic stress. Amino acids 39:933–947

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Larsen M, Ucisik A, Trapp S (2005) Uptake, metabolism, accumulation and toxicity of cyanide in willow trees. Environ Sci Technol 39:2135–2142

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lea PJ, Sodek L, Parry MAJ, Shewry PR, Halford NG (2007) Asparagine in plants. Ann Appl Biol 150:1–26

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liang WS (2003) Drought stress increases both cyanogenesis and beta-cyanoalanine synthase activity in tobacco. Plant Sci 165:109–1115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kao CM, Liu JK, Lou HR, Lin CS, Chen SC (2003) Biotransformation of cyanide to methane and ammonia by Klebsiella oxytoca. Chemosphere 50:1055–1061

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Machingura M, Ebbs S (2010) Increased beta-cyanoalanine synthase and asparaginase activity in nitrogen-deprived wheat exposed to cyanide. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 173:808–810

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Machingura M, Sidibe A, Wood AJ, Ebbs SD (2013) The beta-cyanoalanine pathway is involved in the response to water deficit in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Physiol Biochem 33:159–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manning K (1988) Detoxification of cyanide by plants and hormone action. In: Ciba Foundation (ed) Cyanide compounds in biology. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, pp 92–110

  • Maruyama A., Yoshiyama M., Adachi Y., Nanba H., Hasegawa R., Esashi Y. (1997) Possible participation of beta-cyanoalanine synthase in increasing the amino acid pool of cocklebur seeds in response to ethylene during the pre-germination period. Aust J Plant Physiol 24:751–757

    Google Scholar 

  • Maruyama A, Saito K, Ishizawam K (2001) β-cyanoalanine synthase and cysteine synthase from potato: molecular cloning, biochemical characterization, and spatial and hormonal regulation. Plant Mol Biol 46:749–760

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Paungfoo-Lonhienne C, Lonhienne TGA, Rentsch D, Robinson N, Christie M, Webb RI, Gamage HK, Carroll BJ, Schenk PM, Schmidt S (2008) Plants can use protein as a nitrogen source without assistance from other organisms. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105:4524–4529

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peiser GD, Wang TT, Hoffman NE, Yang SF, Walsh CT (1984) Formation of cyanide from carbon 1 of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carbonxylic acid during its conversion to ethylene. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 81:3059–3063

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rai VK (2002) Role of amino acids in plant responses to stresses. Biol Plant 45:481–487

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rhodes D, Hanson AD (1993) Quaternary ammonium and tertiary sulphonium compounds in higher plants. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 44:357–384

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sachs L (1992) Angewandte Statistik. Springer, Berlin

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Sakamoto A, Murata N (2000) Genetic engineering of glycine betaine synthesis in plants: current status and implications for enhancement of stress tolerance. J Exp Bot 51:81–88

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Siegien I, Bogatek R (2006) Cyanide action in plants—from toxic to regulatory. Acta Physiol Plant 28:483–497

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tang P, Hseu YC, Chou HH, Huang KY, Chen SC (2010) Proteomic analysis of the effect of cyanide on Klebsiella oxytoca. Curr Microbiol 60:224–228

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang JF, Dong CX, Shen QR (2007) Effect of ammonium/nitrate ratios on the free amino acids and three kinds of enzymes of nitrogen metabolism in spinach shoot. Plant Nutrition Fertilizer Sci 13:664–670 (In Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yoshiba Y, Kiyosue T, Nakashima K (1997) Regulation of levels of proline as an osmolyte in plants under water stress. Plant Cell Physiol 38:1095–1102

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu XZ, Trapp S, Zhou PH, Wang C, Zhou XS (2004) Metabolism of cyanide by Chinese vegetation. Chemosphere 56:121–126

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu XZ, Trapp S, Zhou PH (2005) Phytotoxicity of cyanide to weeping willows. Environ Sci Pollut Res 12:109–113

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu XZ, Lu PC, Yu Z (2012) On the role of beta-cyanoalanine synthase (CAS) in metabolism of free cyanide and ferri-cyanide by rice seedlings. Ecotoxicology 21:548–556

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang LP, Mehta SK, Liu ZP, Yang ZM (2008) Cupper-induced proline synthesis is associated with nitric oxide generation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. J Agri Food Chem 57:411–419

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang PP, Fu JM, Hu LX (2012) Effects of alkali stress on growth, free amino acids and carbohydrates metabolism in Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratenis). Ecotoxicology 21:1911–1918

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao FG, Sun C, Liu YL (2001) Ornithine pathway in proline biosynthesis activated by salt stress in barley seedlings. Acta Botanica Sinica 43:35–40

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work is financially supported by a research foundation from Guilin University of Technology (grant no: GUTRC2011007) and a grant from Pearl River Water Resources Protection Bureau.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Guangxi Key Laboratory of Theory and Technology for Environmental Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin, 541004, People’s Republic of China

    Xiao-Zhang Yu & Xue-Hong Zhang

  2. Pearl River Water Environment Monitoring Center, Pearl River Water Resources Protection Bureau, Guangzhou, 510611, People’s Republic of China

    Wei Liu

Authors
  1. Xiao-Zhang Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xue-Hong Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wei Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Xiao-Zhang Yu or Xue-Hong Zhang.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Elena Maestri

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yu, XZ., Zhang, XH. & Liu, W. Responses of free amino acids in rice seedlings during cyanide metabolism. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 1411–1417 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-2034-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-2034-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation