title: Cadmium toxicity and oxidative metabolism of pea leaf peroxisomes.
abstract: The effect of growing pea plants with 50 microM CdCl2 on the activated oxygen metabolism was studied at subcellular level in peroxisomes isolated from pea leaves. Cadmium treatment produced proliferation of peroxisomes as well as an increase in the content of H2O2 in peroxisomes from pea leaves, but in peroxisomal membranes no significant effect on the NADH-dependent O2*- production was observed. The rate of lipid peroxidation of membranes was slightly decreased in peroxisomes from Cd-treated plants. This could be due to the Cd-induced increase in the activity of some antioxidative enzymes involved in H2O2 removal, mainly ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase, as well as the NADP-dependent dehydrogenases present in these organelles. The activity of xanthine oxidase did not experiment changes by Cd treatment and this suggests that O2*- production in the peroxisomal matrix is not involved in Cd toxicity. This was supported by the absence of changes in plants treated with Cd in the Mn-SOD activity, responsible for O2*- removal in the peroxisomal matrix. Results obtained indicate that toxic Cd levels induce imbalances in the activated oxygen metabolism of pea leaf peroxisomes, but its main effect is an enhancement of the H2O2 concentration of these organelles. Peroxisomes respond to Cd toxicity by increasing the activity of antioxidative enzymes involved in the ascorbate-glutathione cycle and the NADP-dependent dehydrogenases located in these organelles.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Biología Celular y Molecular de Plantas, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, CSIC, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Romero-Puertas
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Sandalio
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Corpas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: del Río
mesh_terms: D060387:Ascorbate Peroxidases; D002104:Cadmium / Q000633:toxicity*; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D005980:Glutathione Reductase / Q000378:metabolism; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018532:Pisum sativum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010544:Peroxidases / Q000378:metabolism; D020675:Peroxisomes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002104:Cadmium; D013481:Superoxides; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D010544:Peroxidases; D060387:Ascorbate Peroxidases; D002374:Catalase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D005980:Glutathione Reductase