title: Responsiveness of Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium to acute UV-C exposure: histo-cytochemistry of the injury and DNA damage.
abstract: The in vivo and in vitro effects of UV-C (254 nm) exposure (0.039 watt . m(-2) . s for 2 h) of currant tomato (Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium), indigenous to Peru and Ecuador, were assayed. H(2)O(2) deposits, dead cells and DNA damage were localized, 12/24 h after irradiation, mainly in periveinal parenchyma of the 1st and 2nd order veins of the leaves, and before the appearance of visible symptoms, which occurred 48 h after irradiation. Cell death index was of 43.5 +/- 12% in exposed leaf tissues, 24 h after treatment. In currant tomato protoplasts, the percentage of viable cells dropped 1 h after UV-C irradiation from 97.42 +/- 2.1% to 43.38 +/- 4.2%. Afterwards, the protoplast viability progressively decreased to 40.16 +/- 7.25% at 2 h, to 38.31 +/- 6.9% at 4 h, and to 36.46 +/- 1.84% at 6 h after the exposure. The genotoxic impact of UV-C radiation on protoplasts was assessed with single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE, or comet assay). UV-C treatment greatly enhanced DNA migration, with 75.37 +/- 3.7% of DNA in the tail versus 7.88 +/- 5.5% in the case of untreated nuclei. Oxidative stress by H(2)O(2) used as a positive control, induced a similar damage on non-irradiated protoplasts, with 71.59 +/- 5.5% of DNA in the tail, whereas oxidative stress imposed on UV-C irradiated protoplasts slightly increased the DNA damage (85.13 +/- 4.1%). According to these results, SCGE of protoplasts could be an alternative to nuclei extraction directly from leaf tissues.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Patologia Vegetale, Università di Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iriti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guarnieri
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Faoro
mesh_terms: D002470:Cell Survival / Q000528:radiation effects; D020552:Comet Assay; D004249:DNA Damage; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000528:radiation effects; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects; D011523:Protoplasts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects; D019657:Solanaceae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D018744:DNA, Plant