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The spatial patterns of oxidative stress indicators co-locate with early signs of natural senescence in maize leaves

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Abstract

Reactive oxygen species play a crucial role for various physiological and developmental processes in plants. Here, we report a spatial pattern of oxidative stress and antioxidant defence within maize leaf. Localization of hydrogen peroxide in different region of leaf clearly exhibits well-defined increasing pattern of accumulation from the base to the leaf tip. Lipid peroxidation, an index of oxidative damage, also showed a similar pattern-like hydrogen peroxide that is lowest at the base and highest at the leaf tip. NADPH oxidase, an enzyme responsible for superoxide anion generation, showed highest activity in the leaf tip and least in the leaf base regions. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was increased from the base to the leaf tip. Peroxidases, DAB-peroxidase (DAB-POD) and guaiacol-peroxidase (G-POD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione reductase (GR) also showed increases in their activities from the base to the leaf tip. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX), however, showed a reverse trend—highest at the base and least in the leaf tip. The decrease in APX and increases in the activities of other antioxidant enzymes SOD, CAT, DAB-POD, G-POD and GR along with H2O2 and lipid peroxidation, ascorbate/dehydroascorbate and non-protein thiol levels from the base to the leaf tip clearly exhibit a spatial pattern prior to the onset of visible signs of senescence in the maize leaf.

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Abbreviations

APX:

Ascorbate peroxidase

AsA:

Ascorbate

CAT:

Catalase

DAB-POD:

3,3′-Diaminobenzidine peroxidase

DHA:

Dehydroascorbate

G-POD:

Guaiacol peroxidase

GR:

Glutathione reductase

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

NOX:

NADPH oxidase

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

TAs:

Total ascorbate

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Acknowledgments

R. K. Tewari is thankful to Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Japan and Austrian Science Fund (FWF), Austria for financial support. Authors also thank to Ms. Judith Prommer for reading this manuscript.

Conflict of interest

There is no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Plant Nutrition, Chiba University, Matsudo 648, Chiba, Japan

    Rajesh Kumar Tewari & Masami Watanabe

  2. Department of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research (TER), Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Rajesh Kumar Tewari

  3. Department of Chemistry, Northern India Institute of Technology (NIIT), Lucknow, India

    Pramod Kumar Singh

Authors
  1. Rajesh Kumar Tewari
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  2. Pramod Kumar Singh
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  3. Masami Watanabe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rajesh Kumar Tewari.

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Communicated by U. Feller.

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Tewari, R.K., Singh, P.K. & Watanabe, M. The spatial patterns of oxidative stress indicators co-locate with early signs of natural senescence in maize leaves. Acta Physiol Plant 35, 949–957 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-012-1138-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-012-1138-0

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