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Long-term copper (Cu2+) exposure impacts on auxin, nitric oxide (NO) metabolism and morphology of Arabidopsis thaliana L.

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Abstract

Plants are able to dynamically adapt to their environment by reprogramming of their growth and development. Copper (Cu2+) excess modifies shoot and root architecture of plants by a lesser known mechanism, therefore the involvement of a major hormone component (auxin) and a signal molecule (nitric oxide) in Cu2+-induced morphological responses were studied in Arabidopsis using microscopic methods. Auxin-inducible gene expression was visualized in DR5::GUS Arabidopsis and nitric oxide (NO) levels were detected by DAF-FM fluorophore in the stem and root system. Copper excess caused the inhibition of stem and root growth of Arabidopsis, during which cell elongation, division and expansion were also affected. The symptoms of stress-induced morphogenic response were found in the root system of 25 μM Cu2+-treated plants. In both organs, the decrease of auxin-dependent gene expression was found, which can partly explain the growth inhibitions. Besides hormonal system, nitric oxide metabolism was also affected by Cu2+. In root tips, copper excess induced NO generation, while NO content in lateral roots was not affected by the treatments. Using nia1nia2 mutants, nitrate reductase enzyme as a putative source of Cu2+-induced NO was identified in Arabidopsis primary roots.

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Acknowledgements

The NR double mutant nia1,nia2 seeds were kindly provided by Prof. Dr. F. E. Scherer (Universität Hannover, Germany). This work was supported by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund Grant no. OTKA PD100504. The publication was supported by the European Union and co-funded by the European Social Fund (project number: TÁMOP-4.2.2/B-10/1-2010-0012).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary

    Zsuzsanna Kolbert, Andrea Pető, Nóra Lehotai, Gábor Feigl & László Erdei

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  1. Zsuzsanna Kolbert
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  2. Andrea Pető
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  3. Nóra Lehotai
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  4. Gábor Feigl
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  5. László Erdei
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Correspondence to Zsuzsanna Kolbert.

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Zsuzsanna Kolbert and Andrea Pető contributed equally to this work.

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Kolbert, Z., Pető, A., Lehotai, N. et al. Long-term copper (Cu2+) exposure impacts on auxin, nitric oxide (NO) metabolism and morphology of Arabidopsis thaliana L.. Plant Growth Regul 68, 151–159 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-012-9701-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-012-9701-7

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