Response of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings to lead exposure: effect of pre-treatment with sodium nitroprusside

Phang, Ing Chia and Leung, David W. M. and Taylor, H. Harry and Burritt, David J. (2009) Response of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings to lead exposure: effect of pre-treatment with sodium nitroprusside. In: 13th Australasian Society for Ecotoxicology Conference, 20-23 September 2009, Adelaide, South Australia.

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Abstract

Plants are regularly exposed to unfavorable conditions that impose stress. Lead (Pb), is one of the major pollutants in the environment that causes serious public health and environmental concerns. Increasing levels of lead could also have severe consequences for plants. Plants exposed to lead stress initiate signaling pathways, and make specific changes in their cell physiology and metabolism to avoid or tolerate the stress. However, mechanisms to reduce the effects of lead may vary from plant to plant, developmental stage, and culture medium. Nitric oxide is an important signaling molecule in plant development and defense responses. It has been shown to play a major role in plant responses to several abiotic stresses, such as heat, chilling, drought, salt, UV irradiation and ozone exposure. The objective of this study is to examine the physiological responses to Pb exposure of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds pre-treated with sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a nitric oxide donor. All experiments were carried out using 7-day-old seedlings in a laboratory environment. Pb contents were determined using a graphite furnace spectrometer. Antioxidant assays and reactive oxygen species were carried out using a microplate reader. A major finding is that Pb treatment resulted in increased oxidative stress, which was counteracted by SNP pre-treatment. This and other results obtained are discussed in relation to a strategy to tolerate Pb accumulation in plant cells.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Poster)
Additional Information:	6480/310
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Lead, Nitric Oxide, Oxidative stress, Antioxidative enzymes, Phytoremediation
Subjects:	Q Science > Q Science (General)
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Science > Department of Biotechnology
Depositing User:	Dr. Ing Chia Phang
Date Deposited:	20 Sep 2011 11:57
Last Modified:	16 Nov 2011 14:21
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/310

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