Abstract
Heavy metals (HMs) toxicity has become one of the major global issues and poses a serious threat to the environment in recent years. HM pollution in agricultural soil is caused by metal mining, smelting, volcanic activity, industrial discharges, and excessive use of phosphate fertilizers. HMs above a threshold level adversely affect the cellular metabolism of plants by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS), which attack cellular proteins. There are different mechanisms (physiological and morphological) adopted by plants to survive in the era of abiotic stress. Various osmoprotectants or compatible solutes, including amino acids, sugar, and betaines, enable the plants to counteract the HM stress. Glycine betaine (GB) is an effective osmolyte against HM stress among compatible solutes. GB has been shown to improve plant growth, photosynthesis, uptake of nutrients, and minimize oxidative stress in plants under HM stress. Additionally, GB increases the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as CAT (catalase), SOD (superoxide dismutase), and POD (peroxidase), which are effective in scavenging unwarranted ROS. Since not all species of plants can naturally produce or accumulate GB in response to stress, various approaches have been explored for introducing them. Plant hormones like salicylic acid, ABA (abscisic acid), and JA (jasmonic acid) co-ordinately stimulate the accumulation of GB inside the cell under HM stress. Apart from the exogenous application, the introduction of GB pathway genes in GB deficient species via genetic engineering also seems to be efficient in mediating HM stress. This review complied the beneficial effects of GB in mitigating HM stress and its role as a plant growth regulator. Additionally, the review explores the potential for engineering GB biosynthesis in plants as a strategy to bolster their resilience to HMs.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aamer M, Muhammad UH, Li Z, Abid A, Su Q, Liu Y, Adnan R, Muhammad AU, Tahir AK, Huang G (2018) Foliar application of glycinebetaine (GB) alleviates the cadmium (Cd) toxicity in spinach through reducing Cd uptake and improving the activity of anti-oxidant system. Appl Ecol Environ Res 16(6):7575–7583
Abdel-Mawgoud AMR (2017) Soil and foliar applications of glycinebetaine ameliorate salinity effects on squash plants grown under bahraini conditions. Middle East J 6(2):315–322
Adrees M, Ali S, Rizwan M, Zia-ur-Rehman M, Ibrahim M, Abbas F, Farid M, Qayyum MF, Irshad MK (2015) Mechanisms of silicon-mediated alleviation of heavy metal toxicity in plants: a review. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 119:186–197
Ahmad R, Ali S, Abid M, Rizwan M, Ali B, Tanveer A, Ahmad I, Azam M, Ghani MA (2020) Glycine betaine alleviates the chromium toxicity in Brassica oleracea L. by suppressing oxidative stress and modulating the plant morphology and photosynthetic attributes. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06761-z
Ali S, Chaudhary A, Rizwan M, Anwar HT, Adrees M, Farid M, Irshad MK, Hayat T, Anjum SA (2015) Alleviation of chromium toxicity by glycinebetaine is related to elevated antioxidant enzymes and suppressed chromium uptake and oxidative stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Environ Sci Pollut Res 22:10669–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4193-4
Ali S, Abbas Z, Seleiman MF, Rizwan M, YavaŞ İ, Alhammad BA, Shami A, Hasanuzzaman M, Kalderis D (2020) Glycine betaine accumulation, significance and interests for heavy metal tolerance in plants. Plants 9(7):896. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9070896
Anjum SA, Farooq M, Wang LC, Xue LL, Wang SG, Wang L, Zhang S, Chen M (2011) Gas exchange and chlorophyll synthesis of maize cultivars are enhanced by exogenously-applied glycinebetaine under drought conditions. Plant Soil Environ 57(7):326–31. https://doi.org/10.17221/41/2011-PSE
Anjum SA, Ashraf U, Khan I, Tanveer M, Ali M, Hussain I, Wang LC (2016) Chromium and aluminum phytotoxicity in maize: morpho-physiological responses and metal uptake. Clean Soil Air Water 44(8):1075–84
Annunziata MG, Ciarmiello LF, Woodrow P, Dell’Aversana E, Carillo P (2019) Spatial and temporal profile of glycine betaine accumulation in plants under abiotic stresses. Front Plant Sci 10:230. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00230
Ashraf MF, Foolad MR (2007) Roles of glycine betaine and proline in improving plant abiotic stress resistance. Environ Exp Bot 59(2):206–216
Ayub MA, Ur Rehman MZ, Umar W, Farooqi ZU, Sarfraz M, Ahmad HR, Ahmad Z, Aslam MZ (2022) Role of glycine betaine in stress management in plants. In: Emerging plant growth regulators in agriculture. Academic Press, pp 335–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-91005-7.00005-9
Bao Y, Zhao R, Li F, Tang W, Han L (2011) Simultaneous expression of Spinacia oleracea chloroplast choline monooxygenase (CMO) and betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH) genes contribute to dwarfism in transgenic Lolium perenne. Plant Mol Biol Rep 29:379–388. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11105-010-0243-8
Bharwana SA, Ali S, Farooq MA, Iqbal N, Hameed A, Abbas F, Ahmad MS (2014) Glycine betaine-induced lead toxicity tolerance related to elevated photosynthesis, antioxidant enzymes suppressed lead uptake and oxidative stress in cotton. Turk J Bot 38(2):281–292. https://doi.org/10.3906/bot-1304-65
Cao F, Liu L, Ibrahim W, Cai Y, Wu F (2013) Alleviating effects of exogenous glutathione, glycinebetaine, brassinosteroids and salicylic acid on cadmium toxicity in rice seedlings (Oryza sativa). Agrotechnology 2(1):107–112
Castiglioni P, Bell E, Lund A, Rosenberg AF, Galligan M, Hinchey BS, Bauer S, Nelson DE, Bensen RJ (2018) Identification of GB1, a gene whose constitutive overexpression increases glycinebetaine content in maize and soybean. Plant Direct 2(2):e00040. https://doi.org/10.1002/pld3.40
Cha-um S, Samphumphuang T, Kirdmanee C (2013) Glycinebetaine alleviates water deficit stress in Indica rice using proline accumulation, photosynthetic efficiencies, growth performances and yield attributes. Aust J Crop Sci 7(2):213–218
Chen TH, Murata N (2008) Glycinebetaine: an effective protectant against abiotic stress in plants. Trends Plant Sci 13(9):499–505
Chen TH, Murata N (2011) Glycinebetaine protects plants against abiotic stress: mechanisms and biotechnological applications. Plant Cell Environ 34(1):1–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.2010.02232.x
Cheng C, Pei LM, Yin TT, Zhang KW (2018) Seed treatment with glycine betaine enhances tolerance of cotton to chilling stress. J Agric Sci 156(3):323–332. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021859618000278
Clemens S, Palmgren MG, Krämer U (2002) A long way ahead: understanding and engineering plant metal accumulation. Trends Plant Sci 7(7):309–315. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1360-1385(02)02295-1
Dodd IC, Davies WJ (2010) Hormones and the regulation of water balance. In: Davies PJ (ed) Plant hormones, 3rd edn. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 519–548. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2686-7_23
Duhan SS, Khyalia P, Laura JS (2022) A comprehensive analysis of health risk due to natural outdoor gamma radiation in southeast Haryana. India Curr Sci 123(2):169–176
Duhan SS, Khyalia P, Solanki P, Laura JS (2023) Uranium sources, uptake, translocation in the soil-plant system and its toxicity in plants and humans: a critical review. Orient J Chem 39(2):303–319
Duman F, Aksoy A, Aydin Z, Temizgul R (2011) Effects of exogenous glycinebetaine and trehalose on cadmium accumulation and biological responses of an aquatic plant (Lemna gibba L.). Water Air Soil Pollut 217:545–556. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0608-5
Esmaeilzadeh M, Jaafari J, Mohammadi AA, Panahandeh M, Javid A, Javan S (2019) Investigation of the extent of contamination of heavy metals in agricultural soil using statistical analyses and contamination indices. Hum Ecol Risk Assess Int J 25(5):1125–36
Fan W, Zhang M, Zhang H, Zhang P (2012) Improved tolerance to various abiotic stresses in transgenic sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) expressing spinach betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase. PLoS ONE 7(5):e37344. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0037344
Fariduddin Q, Varshney P, Yusuf M, Ali A, Ahmad A (2013) Dissecting the role of glycine betaine in plants under abiotic stress. Plant Stress 7(1):8–18
Farooq MS, Basra SM, Ahmad N (2007) Improving the performance of transplanted rice by seed priming. Plant Growth Regul 51:129–137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-006-9155-x
Farooq M, Aziz T, Hussain M, Rehman H, Jabran K, Khan MB (2008) Glycinebetaine improves chilling tolerance in hybrid maize. J Agron Crop Sci 194(2):152–160. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-037X.2008.00295.x
Farooq MA, Ali S, Hameed A, Bharwana SA, Rizwan M, Ishaque W, Farid M, Mahmood K, Iqbal Z (2016) Cadmium stress in cotton seedlings: physiological, photosynthesis and oxidative damages alleviated by glycinebetaine. S Afr J Bot 104:61–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2015.11.006
Gill M (2014) Heavy metal stress in plants: a review. Int J Adv Res 2(6):1043–1055. https://doi.org/10.1002/9783527628964.ch8
Giri J (2011) Glycinebetaine and abiotic stress tolerance in plants. Plant Signal Behav 6(11):1746–1751. https://doi.org/10.4161/psb.6.11.17801
Goyal D, Yadav A, Prasad M, Singh TB, Shrivastav P, Ali A, Dantu PK, Mishra S (2020) Effect of heavy metals on plant growth: an overview. In: Contaminants in agriculture: sources impacts and management. pp 79–101. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41552-5_4
Gratão PL, Alves LR, Lima LW (2019) Heavy metal toxicity and plant productivity: role of metal scavengers. In: Srivastava S, Srivastava A, Suprasanna P (eds) Plant-metal interactions. Springer, Cham, pp 49–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20732-8_3
Hasanuzzaman M, Banerjee A, Bhuyan MB, Roychoudhury A, Al Mahmud J, Fujita M (2019) Targeting glycinebetaine for abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants: physiological mechanism, molecular interaction and signaling. Phyton 88(3):185. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2019.07559
Hassanein RA, Hassanein AA, Haider AS, Hashem HA (2009) Improving salt tolerance of Zea mays L plants by presoaking their grains in glycine betaine. Aust J Basic Appl Sci 3(2):928–942
He X, Richmond ME, Williams DV, Zheng W, Wu F (2019) Exogenous glycinebetaine reduces cadmium uptake and mitigates cadmium toxicity in two tobacco genotypes differing in cadmium tolerance. Int J Mol Sci 20(7):1612. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20071612
Hernandez-Leon SG, Valenzuela-Soto EM (2023) Glycine betaine is a phytohormone-like plant growth and development regulator under stress conditions. J Plant Growth Regul 42:5029–5040. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-022-10855-3
Hibino T, Waditee R, Araki E, Ishikawa H, Aoki K, Tanaka Y, Takabe T (2002) Functional characterization of choline monooxygenase, an enzyme for betaine synthesis in plants. J Biol Chem 277(44):41352–41360. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M205965200
Hossain MA, Fujita M (2010) Evidence for a role of exogenous glycinebetaine and proline in antioxidant defense and methylglyoxal detoxification systems in mung bean seedlings under salt stress. Physiol Mol Biol Plants 16:19–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-010-0003-0
Hossain MA, Piyatida P, da Silva JA, Fujita M (2012) Molecular mechanism of heavy metal toxicity and tolerance in plants: central role of glutathione in detoxification of reactive oxygen species and methylglyoxal and in heavy metal chelation. J bot. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/872875
Huang J, Hirji R, Adam L, Rozwadowski KL, Hammerlindl JK, Keller WA, Selvaraj G (2000) Genetic engineering of glycinebetaine production toward enhancing stress tolerance in plants: metabolic limitations. Plant Physiol 122(3):747–56
Iqbal N, Ashraf M, Ashraf MY (2008) Glycinebetaine, an osmolyte of interest to improve water stress tolerance in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.): water relations and yield. S Afr J Bot 74(2):274–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2007.11.016
Ismail A, Takeda S, Nick P (2014) Life and death under salt stress: same players, different timing? J Exp Bot 65(12):2963–2979. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eru159
Jabeen N, Abbas Z, Iqbal M, Rizwan M, Jabbar A, Farid M, Ali S, Ibrahim M, Abbas F (2016) Glycinebetaine mediates chromium tolerance in mung bean through lowering of Cr uptake and improved antioxidant system. Arch Agron Soil Sci 62(5):648–662. https://doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2015.1082032
Jafarzadeh N, Heidari K, Meshkinian A, Kamani H, Mohammadi AA, Conti GO (2022) Non-carcinogenic risk assessment of exposure to heavy metals in underground water resources in Saraven, Iran: spatial distribution, Monte-Carlo simulation, sensitive analysis. Environ Res 204:112002
Jain P et al (2021) Plant performance and defensive role of glycine betaine under environmental stress. In: Husen A (ed) Plant performance under environmental stress. Springer, Cham, pp 225–248. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78521-5_9
Ji Y, Ren Y, Han C, Zhu W, Gu J, He J (2022) Application of exogenous glycinebetaine alleviates lead toxicity in pakchoi (Brassica chinensis L.) by promoting antioxidant enzymes and suppressing Pb accumulation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 1:1–3. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-17760-4
Juknys R, Vitkauskaitė G, Račaitė M, Venclovienė J (2012) The impacts of heavy metals on oxidative stress and growth of spring barley. Cent Eur J Biol 7:299–306. https://doi.org/10.2478/s11535-012-0012-9
Kacienė G, Milčė JŽ, Juknys R (2015) Role of oxidative stress on growth responses of spring barley exposed to different environmental stressors. J Plant Ecol 8(6):605–616. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtv026
Kazemi Moghaddam V, Latifi P, Darrudi R, Ghaleh Askari S, Mohammadi AA, Marufi N, Javan S (2022) Heavy metal contaminated soil, water, and vegetables in northeastern Iran: potential health risk factors. J Environ Health Sci Eng 20:65–77
Khalid M, Rehman HM, Ahmed N, Nawaz S, Saleem F, Ahmad S, Uzair M, Rana IA, Atif RM, Zaman QU, Lam HM (2022) Using exogenous melatonin, glutathione, proline, and glycine betaine treatments to combat abiotic stresses in crops. Int J Mol Sci 23(21):12913
Khan MIR, Asgher M, Khan NA (2014) Alleviation of salt-induced photosynthesis and growth inhibition by salicylic acid involves glycinebetaine and ethylene in mungbean (Vigna radiata L.). Plant Physiol Biochem 80:67–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2014.03.026
Khan MI, Iqbal N, Masood A, Mobin M, Anjum NA, Khan NA (2016) Modulation and significance of nitrogen and sulfur metabolism in cadmium challenged plants. Plant Growth Regul 78:1–1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-015-0071-9
Khyalia P, Dangi J, Barapatre S, Dhania G, Laura JS, Nandal M (2022a) Comparative analysis of compost quality produced from fungal consortia and rice straw by varying C/N ratio and its effect on germination of Vigna radiata. Nat Environ Pollut Technol 21(3):1235–1242
Khyalia P, Laura JS, Khosla B, Sahoo SK, Tiwari SN, Nandal M (2022) Analysis of effective equivalent dose to the organs and cancer risk assessment due to natural outdoor gamma radiation in Eastern Thar Desert, India. Int J Environ Anal Chem. https://doi.org/10.1080/03067319.2022.2130692
Khyalia P, Jugiani H, Jyoti Dangi, Laura JS, Nandal M (2023) A comprehensive review on the techniques and indexes used for the analysis of fluorosis in humans and cattle. Orient J Chem 39(5):1120–1132
Khyalia P, Duhan S, Laura JS, Nandal M (2024) A comprehensive analysis of fluoride contamination in groundwater of rural area with special focus on India. In: Water resources management for rural development challenges and mitigation (pp 201–212). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-18778-0.00008-8
Kishitani S, Takanami T, Suzuki M, Oikawa M, Yokoi S, Ishitani M, Alvarez-Nakase AM, Takabe T, Takabe T (2000) Compatibility of glycinebetaine in rice plants: evaluation using transgenic rice plants with a gene for peroxisomal betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase from barley. Plant Cell Environ 23(1):107–114. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3040.2000.00527.x
Kumar P, Tokas J, Singal HR (2019) Amelioration of chromium VI toxicity in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) using glycine betaine. Sci Rep 9:1–15. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-52479-w
Kurepin LV, Ivanov AG, Zaman M, Pharis RP, Allakhverdiev SI, Hurry V, Hüner NP (2015) Stress-related hormones and glycinebetaine interplay in protection of photosynthesis under abiotic stress conditions. Photosynth Res 126:221–235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-015-0125-x
Kurepin LV, Ivanov AG, Zaman M, Pharis RP, Hurry V, Hüner NPA (2017) Interaction of glycine betaine and plant hormones: protection of the photosynthetic apparatus during abiotic stress. In: Hou H, Najafpour M, Moore G, Allakhverdiev S (eds) Photosynthesis: structures, mechanisms, and applications. Springer, Cham, pp 185–202. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48873-8_9
Lavanya NS, Amruthesh NK (2017) Glycine betaine mediated disease resistance against Sclerospora graminicola in Pearl Millet. J Appl Biol Biotechnol 5(3):045–051. https://doi.org/10.7324/JABB.2017.50308
Liu J, Kang H, Tao W, Li H, He D, Ma L, Tang H, Wu S, Yang K, Li X (2023) A spatial distribution–principal component analysis (SD-PCA) model to assess pollution of heavy metals in soil. Sci Total Environ 859:160112
Lou L, Li X, Chen J, Li Y, Tang Y, Lv J (2018) Photosynthetic and ascorbate-glutathione metabolism in the flag leaves as compared to spikes under drought stress of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). PLoS One 13(3):e0194625. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0194625
Mäkelä P, Peltonen-Sainio P, Jokinen K, Pehu E, Setälä H, Hinkkanen R, Somersalo S (1996) Uptake and translocation of foliar-applied glycinebetaine in crop plants. Plant Sci 121(2):221–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0168-9452(96)04527-x
Maksymiec W (2007) Signaling responses in plants to heavy metal stress. Acta Physiol Plant 29:177–187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-007-0036-3
Maleki M, Ghorbanpour M, Kariman K (2017) Physiological and antioxidative responses of medicinal plants exposed to heavy metals stress. Plant Gene 11:247–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plgene.2017.04.006
Malik S, Khyalia P, Laura JS (2024) Conventional methods and materials used for water treatment in rural areas. In: Water resources management for rural development challenges and mitigation (pp 201–212). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-18778-0.00010-6
Mohammadi AA, Yousefi M, Soltani J, Ahangar AG, Javan S (2018) Using the combined model of gamma test and neuro-fuzzy system for modeling and estimating lead bonds in reservoir sediments. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25:30315–30324
Mohammadi AA, Zarei A, Majidi S, Ghaderpoury A, Hashempour Y, Saghi MH, Alinejad A, Yousefi M, Hosseingholizadeh N, Ghaderpoori M (2019) Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk assessment of heavy metals in drinking water of Khorramabad. Iran Methodsx 6:1642–1651
Mohammadi AA, Zarei A, Esmaeilzadeh M, Taghavi M, Yousefi M, Yousefi Z, Sedighi F, Javan S (2020) Assessment of heavy metal pollution and human health risks assessment in soils around an industrial zone in Neyshabur, Iran. Biol Trace Elem Res 195:343–352
Mohammadipour N, Souri MK (2019) Beneficial effects of glycine on growth and leaf nutrient concentrations of coriander (Coriandrum sativum) plants. J Plant Nutr 42(14):1637–1644. https://doi.org/10.5586/aa.1759
Mourato M, Reis R, Martins LL (2012) Characterization of plant antioxidative system in response to abiotic stresses: a focus on heavy metal toxicity. Adv Sel Plant Physiol Asp 12:1–7. https://doi.org/10.5772/34557
Mukherjee S, Chatterjee N, Sircar A, Maikap S, Singh A, Acharyya S, Paul S (2023) A comparative analysis of heavy metal effects on medicinal plants. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 195(4):2483–2518. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-022-03938-0
Nakamura T, Yokota S, Muramoto Y, Tsutsui K, Oguri Y, Fukui K, Takabe T (1997) Expression of a betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase gene in rice, a glycinebetaine non-accumulator, and possible localization of its protein in peroxisomes. Plant J 11(5):1115–1120. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-313X.1997.11051115.x
Niu X, Zheng W, Lu BR, Ren G, Huang W, Wang S, Liu J, Tang Z, Luo D, Wang Y, Liu Y (2007) An unusual posttranscriptional processing in two betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase loci of cereal crops directed by short, direct repeats in response to stress conditions. Plant Physiol 143(4):1929–1942
Noroozlo YA, Souri MK, Delshad M (2019) Stimulation effects of foliar applied glycine and glutamine amino acids on lettuce growth. Open Agric 4(1):164–172. https://doi.org/10.1515/opag-2019-0016
Nuccio ML, Russell BL, Nolte KD, Rathinasabapathi B, Gage DA, Hanson AD (1998) The endogenous choline supply limits glycine betaine synthesis in transgenic tobacco expressing choline monooxygenase. Plant J 16(4):487–496. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-313x.1998.00316.x
Park EJ, Jeknić Z, Sakamoto A, DeNoma J, Yuwansiri R, Murata N, Chen TH (2004) Genetic engineering of glycinebetaine synthesis in tomato protects seeds, plants, and flowers from chilling damage. Plant J 40(4):474–487. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-313X.2004.02237.x
Park EJ, Jeknic Z, Chen TH (2006) Exogenous application of glycinebetaine increases chilling tolerance in tomato plants. Plant Cell Physiol 47(6):706–714. https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcj041
Park EJ, Jeknić Z, Pino MT, Murata N, Chen TH (2007) Glycinebetaine accumulation is more effective in chloroplasts than in the cytosol for protecting transgenic tomato plants against abiotic stress. Plant Cell Environ 30(8):994–1005. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.2007.01694.x
Pasternak T, Rudas V, Potters G, Jansen MA (2005) Morphogenic effects of abiotic stress: reorientation of growth in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. Environ Exp Bot 53(3):299–314
Peel GJ, Mickelbart MV, Rhodes D (2010) Choline metabolism in glycinebetaine accumulating and non-accumulating near-isogenic lines of Zea mays and Sorghum bicolor. Phytochemistry 71(4):404–414
Rasheed R, Ashraf MA, Hussain I, Haider MZ, Kanwal U, Iqbal M (2014) Exogenous proline and glycinebetaine mitigate cadmium stress in two genetically different spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars. Braz J Bot 37:399–406. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-014-0089-7
Rasheed R, Iqbal M, Ashraf MA, Hussain I, Shafiq F, Yousaf A, Zaheer A (2018) Glycine betaine counteracts the inhibitory effects of waterlogging on growth, photosynthetic pigments, oxidative defence system, nutrient composition, and fruit quality in tomato. J Hortic Sci Biotechnol 93(4):385–391. https://doi.org/10.1080/14620316.2017.1373037
Raza MA, Saleem MF, Shah GM, Khan IH, Raza A (2014) Exogenous application of glycinebetaine and potassium for improving water relations and grain yield of wheat under drought. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 14(2):348–64. https://doi.org/10.4067/s0718-95162014005000028
Rendina N, Nuzzaci M, Scopa A, Cuypers A, Sofo A (2019) Chitosan-elicited defense responses in Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV)-infected tomato plants. J Plant Physiol 234:9–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2019.01.003
Riyazuddin R, Nisha N, Ejaz B, Khan MI, Kumar M, Ramteke PW, Gupta R (2021) A comprehensive review on the heavy metal toxicity and sequestration in plants. Biomolecules 12(1):43. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12010043
Roychoudhury A, Banerjee A (2016) Endogenous glycine betaine accumulation mediates abiotic stress tolerance in plants. Trop Plant Res 3(1):105–111
Sakamoto A, Murata N (2002) The role of glycine betaine in the protection of plants from stress: clues from transgenic plants. Plant Cell Environ 25(2):163–171. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0016-8025.2001.00790.x
Shahbaz M, Zia B (2011) Does exogenous application of glycinebetaine through rooting medium alter rice (Oryza sativa L.) mineral nutrient status under saline conditions. J Appl Bot Food Qual 84(1):54–60
Sharma J, Kumar S, Kumar V, Singh P, Khyalia P, Verma S, Saini S, Sharma A (2023) Foliar application of glycine betaine to ameliorate lead toxicity in barley plants by modulating antioxidant enzyme activity and biochemical parameters. Environ Res Commun 5:075002. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/acde38
Singh D, Singh CK, Singh D, Sarkar SK, Prasad SK, Sharma NL, Singh I (2022) Glycine betaine modulates chromium (VI)-induced morpho-physiological and biochemical responses to mitigate chromium toxicity in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars. Sci Rep 12(1):8005. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-11869-3
Subbarao GV, Wheeler RM, Levine LH, Stutte GW (2001) Glycine betaine accumulation, ionic and water relations of red-beet at contrasting levels of sodium supply. J Plant Physiol 158(6):767–776. https://doi.org/10.1078/0176-1617-00309
Tanwer N, Khyalia P, Deswal M, Laura JS, Khosla B (2022) Spatial distribution of uranium in groundwater and its health risk assessment in Haryana, India. Rasayan J Chem 15(1):343–349
Tanwer N, Deswal M, Khyalia P, Laura JS, Khosla B (2023a) Fluoride and nitrate in groundwater: a comprehensive analysis of health risk and potability of groundwater of Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan, India. Environ Monit Assess 195(2):267
Tanwer N, Deswal M, Khyalia P, Laura JS, Khosla B (2023) Assessment of groundwater potability and health risk due to fluoride and nitrate in groundwater of Churu District of Rajasthan, India. Environ Geochem Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-023-01485-z
Tanwer N, Deswal M, Khyalia P, Laura JS, Gautam YP, Khosla B (2023) Mapping of outdoor gamma radiation and consequential health risk assessment in north-eastern regions of Rajasthan, India. Environ Forens. https://doi.org/10.1080/15275922.2023.2218660
Tian F, Wang W, Liang C, Wang X, Wang G, Wang W (2017) Overaccumulation of glycine betaine makes the function of the thylakoid membrane better in wheat under salt stress. Crop J 5(1):73–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cj.2016.05.008
Tomulescu IM, Radoviciu EM, Merca VV, Tuduce AD (2004) Effect of copper, zinc and lead and their combinations on the germination capacity of two cereals. Acta Agrar Debr 14(15):39–42. https://doi.org/10.34101/actaagrar/15/3355
Xalxo R, Yadu B, Chakraborty P, Chandrakar V, Keshavkant S (2017) Modulation of nickel toxicity by glycinebetaine and aspirin in Pennisetum typhoideum. Acta Biol Szeged 61(2):163–71
Xu D, Chen Z, Sun K, Yan D, Kang M, Zhao Y (2013) Effect of cadmium on the physiological parameters and the subcellular cadmium localization in the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 97:147–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2013.07.021
Yamada N, Promden W, Yamane K, Tamagake H, Hibino T, Tanaka Y, Takabe T (2009) Preferential accumulation of betaine uncoupled to choline monooxygenase in young leaves of sugar beet–importance of long-distance translocation of betaine under normal and salt-stressed conditions. J Plant Physiol 166(18):2058–2070. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2009.06.016
Zanganeh R, Jamei R, Rahmani F (2018) Impacts of seed priming with salicylic acid and sodium hydrosulfide on possible metabolic pathway of two amino acids in maize plant under lead stress. Mol Biol Res Commun 7(2):83
Zhang H, Dong H, Li W, Sun Y, Chen S, Kong X (2009) Increased glycine betaine synthesis and salinity tolerance in AhCMO transgenic cotton lines. Mol Breed 23:289–298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11032-008-9233-z
Zhang L, Gao M, Li S, Li S, Liang Z (2011) Modulation of plant growth, water status and antioxidantive system of two maize (Zea may L.) cultivars induced by exogenous glycinebetaine under long term mild drought stress. Pak J Bot 43(3):1587–94
Zhang J, Wang J, Zhong W, Cai Z (2015) Organic nitrogen stimulates the heterotrophic nitrification rate in an acidic forest soil. Soil Biol Biochem 80:293–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.10.024
Zhang T, Liang J, Wang M, Li D, Liu Y, Chen TH, Yang X (2019) Genetic engineering of the biosynthesis of glycinebetaine enhances the fruit development and size of tomato. Plant Sci 280:355–366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.12.023
Zhang G, Ba Q, Chen S, Liu F, Li G (2020) Exogenous application of glycine betaine alleviates cadmium toxicity in super black waxy maize by improving photosynthesis, the antioxidant system and glutathione-ascorbic acid cycle metabolites. Cereal Res Commun 48:449–458. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42976-020-00062-9
Zhao XX, Ma QQ, Liang C, Fang Y, Wang YQ, Wang W (2007) Effect of glycinebetaine on function of thylakoid membranes in wheat flag leaves under drought stress. Biol Plant 1:584–588. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-007-0128-3
Zulfiqar F, Ashraf M, Siddique KH (2022) Role of glycine betaine in the thermotolerance of plants. Agronomy 12(2):276. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020276
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Sharma, J., Kumar, S., Singh, P. et al. Emerging role of osmoprotectant glycine betaine to mitigate heavy metals toxicity in plants: a systematic review. BIOLOGIA FUTURA (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42977-023-00198-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42977-023-00198-9