title: The symbiosis between Nicotiana tabacum and the endomycorrhizal fungus Funneliformis mosseae increases the plant glutathione level and decreases leaf cadmium and root arsenic contents.
abstract: Over time, anthropogenic activities have led to severe cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) pollution in several environments. Plants inhabiting metal(loid)-contaminated areas should be able to sequester and detoxify these toxic elements as soon as they enter roots and leaves. We postulated here that an important role in protecting plants from excessive metal(loid) accumulation and toxicity might be played by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. In fact, human exploitation of plant material derived from Cd- and As-polluted environments may lead to a noxious intake of these toxic elements; in particular, a possible source of Cd and As for humans is given by cigarette and cigar smoke. We investigated the role of AM fungus Funneliformis mosseae (T.H. Nicolson & Gerd.) C. Walker & A. Schüßler in protecting Nicotiana tabacum L. (cv. Petit Havana) from the above-mentioned metal(loid) stress. Our findings proved that the AM symbiosis is effective in increasing the plant tissue content of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH), in influencing the amount of metal(loid)-induced chelators as phytochelatins, and in reducing the Cd and As content in leaves and roots of adult tobacco plants. These results might also prove useful in improving the quality of commercial tobacco, thus reducing the risks to human health due to inhalation of toxic elements contained in smoking products.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Degola
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, "Sapienza" Università di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fattorini
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale "A. Avogadro", Viale T. Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bona
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Christian Triscari
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Sprimuto
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Molecolari e Nanosistemi, Università di Venezia "Ca' Foscari", Dorsoduro 2137, 30123 Venezia, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Argese
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale "A. Avogadro", Viale T. Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy.
authors.forename: Graziella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Berta
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy. Electronic address: luigi.sanita@unipr.it.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sanità di Toppi
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D001151:Arsenic / Q000378:metabolism*; D002104:Cadmium / Q000378:metabolism*; D055137:Glomeromycota / Q000378:metabolism*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism*; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000378:metabolism*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000378:metabolism; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013559:Symbiosis; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D002104:Cadmium; D005978:Glutathione; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: AM fungi; Arsenic; Cadmium; Cigarettes; Glutathione; Mycorrhiza; Smoking; Tobacco