title: NO loading: Efficiency assessment of five commonly used application methods of sodium nitroprusside in Medicago truncatula plants.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is a bioactive, diffusible molecule involved in a multitude of physiological and developmental processes in plants, which has been reported to display both antioxidant and pro-oxidant properties in plants. Several reports exist highlighting the protective action of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor, which demonstrate its important role as a signal molecule in plants responsible for the expression regulation of antioxidant and other defense enzymes. However, the mode of application of this compound varies greatly between studies. The present study provides a comprehensive efficiency comparison of the most commonly used application methods using 2.5mM SNP on mature (40 day) Medicago truncatula plants. Measurement of NO content in both leaves and roots suggests that vacuum infiltration is the most efficient method for NO donation in leaf tissue, whereas hydroponic application resulted in highest NO content in roots. NO content correlated with activity levels of nitrate reductase (NR; EC 1.7.99.4), a key enzyme involved in the generation of NO in plants and which is known to be regulated by NO itself.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology and Food Science, Cyprus University of Technology, P.O. Box 50329, 3603 Limassol, Cyprus.
authors.forename: Panagiota
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Filippou
authors.forename: Chrystalla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Antoniou
authors.forename: Shirisha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yelamanchili
authors.forename: Vasileios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fotopoulos
mesh_terms: D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D018527:Hydroponics; D046913:Medicago truncatula / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D050901:Nitrate Reductase / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000378:metabolism*; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000378:metabolism*; D009928:Organ Specificity; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014618:Vacuum
chemical_list: D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; D010940:Plant Proteins; D009599:Nitroprusside; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D050901:Nitrate Reductase