title: Specific mechanisms of tolerance to copper and cadmium are compromised by a limited concentration of glutathione in alfalfa plants.
abstract: The induction of oxidative stress is a characteristic symptom of metal phytotoxicity and is counteracted by antioxidants such as glutathione (GSH) or homoglutathione (hGSH). The depletion of GSH│hGSH in fifteen-day-old alfalfa (Medicago sativa) plants pre-incubated with 1mM buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) affected antioxidant responses in a metal-specific manner under exposure to copper (Cu; 0, 6, 30 and 100μM) or cadmium (Cd; 0, 6 and 30μM) for 7 days. The phytotoxic symptoms observed with excess Cu were accompanied by an inhibition of root glutathione reductase (GR) activity, a response that was augmented in Cd-treated plants but reverted when combined with BSO. The synthesis of phytochelatins (PCs) was induced by Cd, whereas the biothiol concentration decreased in Cu-treated plants, which did not accumulate PCs. The depletion of GSH│hGSH by BSO also produced a strong induction of oxidative stress under excess Cu stress, primarily due to impaired GSH│hGSH-dependent redox homeostasis. In addition, the synthesis of PCs was required for Cd detoxification, apparently also determining the distribution of Cd in plants, as less metal was translocated to the shoots in BSO-incubated plants. Therefore, specific GSH│hGSH-associated mechanisms of tolerance were triggered by stress due to each metal.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Department of Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain; Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Laura
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Flores-Cáceres
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Department of Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain; Laboratory of Biochemistry and Environmental Toxicology, Institute Supérieur Agronomique de Chott-Mariem, Sousse, Tunisia; Centre Regional de Recherches en Horticulture et Agriculture Biologique, Chott-Mariem, Sousse, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Sabrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hattab
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Department of Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain; Laboratory of Biochemistry and Environmental Toxicology, Institute Supérieur Agronomique de Chott-Mariem, Sousse, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Sarra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hattab
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry and Environmental Toxicology, Institute Supérieur Agronomique de Chott-Mariem, Sousse, Tunisia; Centre Regional de Recherches en Horticulture et Agriculture Biologique, Chott-Mariem, Sousse, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Hamadi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Boussetta
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry and Environmental Toxicology, Institute Supérieur Agronomique de Chott-Mariem, Sousse, Tunisia; Centre Regional de Recherches en Horticulture et Agriculture Biologique, Chott-Mariem, Sousse, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Banni
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Department of Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: luise.hernandez@uam.es.
authors.forename: Luis E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Hernández
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D002104:Cadmium / Q000633:toxicity*; D003300:Copper / Q000633:toxicity*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism*; D000455:Medicago sativa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D012989:Soil Pollutants; C402172:homoglutathione; D002104:Cadmium; D003300:Copper; D005978:Glutathione
keywords: Alfalfa; Cadmium; Copper; Glutathione; Oxidative-stress; Phytochelatins