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Role of brassinosteroids in alleviating toxin-induced stress of Verticillium dahliae on cotton callus growth

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Abstract

Brassinosteroids are well known to mitigate biotic stresses; however, their role to induce tolerance against Verticillium dahliae is unknown. The current study employed V. dahliae (Vd) toxin as pathogen-free model system to induce stress on cotton callus growth, and its amelioration was investigated using 24-epibrassinolide (EBR). Results revealed that EBR has ameliorative effects against Vd toxin with greater seen effect when callus was treated with EBR prior to its exposure to Vd toxin (pre-EBR treatment) than EBR applied along with Vd toxin simultaneously (co-EBR treatment). Pre-EBR-treated calli remained green, while 65 and 90% callus browning was observed in co-EBR- and Vd toxin-alone-treated callus, respectively. Likewise, the fresh weight of the pre-EBR-treated callus was 52% higher than Vd toxin-alone treatment, whereas this increase was only 23% in co-EBR-treated callus. Meanwhile, EBR treatment of the cotton callus has also increased the contents of chlorophylls a and b, carotenoids, total phenols, flavonoids, soluble sugars, and proteins and increased the activity of enzymes involved in secondary metabolism like polyphenol oxidase (PPO), phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL), cinnamyl alchol dehydrogenase (CAD), and shikimate dehydrogenase (SKDH) over Vd toxin-alone treatment with higher increments being observed in pre-EBR-treated callus. Furthermore, EBR treatment mimicked the DNA damage and improved the structure of mitochondria, granum, stroma thylakoids, and the attachment of ribosomes with the endoplasmic reticulum. This EBR-mediated mitigation was primarily associated with substantially increased contents of photosynthetic pigments and regulation of secondary metabolism.

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Abbreviations

BL:

Brassinolide

BRs:

Brassinosteroid

CAD:

Cinnamyl alchol dehydrogenase

EBR:

24-Epibrassinolide

PAL:

Phenylalanine ammonialyase

PPO:

Polyphenol oxidase

SKDH:

Shikimate dehydrogenase

TSP:

Total soluble protein

TSS:

Total soluble sugars

TP:

Total phenols

TEM:

Transmission electron microscope

Vd:

Verticillium dahlia

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Acknowledgments

The author and co-author of the manuscript are thankful to Postdoctoral Scientific Research Foundation of Zhejiang Province: Bsh1202088 to carry this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Noreen Bibi, Imrul Mosaddek Ahmed, Kai Fan, Muhammad Dawood, Feng Li, Shuna Yuan & Xuede Wang

  2. Plant Breeding and Genetics Division, Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Noreen Bibi

  3. Plant Physiology Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur, 1701, Bangladesh

    Imrul Mosaddek Ahmed

  4. Department of Environmental Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

    Muhammad Dawood

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  1. Noreen Bibi
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  4. Muhammad Dawood
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  5. Feng Li
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Correspondence to Xuede Wang.

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Bibi, N., Ahmed, I.M., Fan, K. et al. Role of brassinosteroids in alleviating toxin-induced stress of Verticillium dahliae on cotton callus growth. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 12281–12292 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8738-6

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