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Morphophysiological responses and programmed cell death induced by cadmium in Genipa americana L. (Rubiaceae)

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Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) originating from atmospheric deposits, from industrial residues and from the application of phosphate fertilizers may accumulate in high concentrations in soil, water and food, thus becoming highly toxic to plants, animals and human beings. Once accumulated in an organism, Cd discharges and sets off a sequence of biochemical reactions and morphophysiological changes which may cause cell death in several tissues and organs. In order to test the hypothesis that Cd interferes in the metabolism of G. americana, a greenhouse experiment was conducted to measure eventual morphophysiological responses and cell death induced by Cd in this species. The plants were exposed to Cd concentrations ranging from 0 to 16 mg l−1, in a nutritive solution. In TUNEL reaction, it was shown that Cd caused morphological changes in the cell nucleus of root tip and leaf tissues, which are typical for apoptosis. Cadmium induced anatomical changes in roots and leaves, such as the lignification of cell walls in root tissues and leaf main vein. In addition, the leaf mesophyll showed increase of the intercellular spaces. On the other hand, Cd caused reductions in the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and leaf transpiration, while the maximum potential quantum efficiency of PS2 (Fv/Fm) was unchanged. Cadmium accumulated in the root system in high concentrations, with low translocation for the shoot, and promoted an increase of Ca and Zn levels in the roots and a decrease of K level in the leaves. High concentrations of Cd promoted morphophysiological changes and caused cell death in roots and leaves tissues of G. americana.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia (FAPESB) and Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC). We also thank the technicians of the Service Central d’Analises, Lyon, França and Mr. Martin Brendel for their invaluable suggestions and manuscript review. V. L. Souza was supported by Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa (CNPq).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Genômica e Expressão Gênica, DCB/UESC, Rod. BR 415, Km 16, Ilheus, BA, 45662-000, Brazil

    Vânia L. Souza & Júlio C. de M. Cascardo

  2. Laboratório de Fisiologia Vegetal, DCB/UESC, Rod. BR 415, Km 16, Ilheus, BA, 45662-000, Brazil

    Alex-Alan F. de Almeida & Fábio P. Gomes

  3. Laboratório de Anatomia Vegetal, DCB/UESC, Rod. BR 415, Km 16, Ilheus, BA, 45662-000, Brazil

    Stella G. C. Lima

  4. Laboratório de Microscopia Eletrônica, DCB/UESC, Rod. BR 415, Km 16, Ilheus, BA, 45662-000, Brazil

    Delmira da C. Silva & Pedro A. O. Mangabeira

Authors
  1. Vânia L. Souza
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  2. Alex-Alan F. de Almeida
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  3. Stella G. C. Lima
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  4. Júlio C. de M. Cascardo
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  5. Delmira da C. Silva
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  6. Pedro A. O. Mangabeira
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  7. Fábio P. Gomes
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Correspondence to Alex-Alan F. de Almeida.

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Souza, V.L., de Almeida, AA.F., Lima, S.G.C. et al. Morphophysiological responses and programmed cell death induced by cadmium in Genipa americana L. (Rubiaceae). Biometals 24, 59–71 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-010-9374-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-010-9374-5

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