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Deciphering the melatonin-mediated response and signalling in the regulation of heavy metal stress in plants

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Abstract

Main conclusion

Melatonin has a protective effect against heavy metal stress in plants by immobilizing HM in cell walls and sequestering them in root cell vacuoles, reducing HM's translocation from roots to shoots. It enhances osmolyte production, increases antioxidant enzyme activity, and improves photosynthesis, thereby improving cellular functions. Understanding the melatonin-mediated response and signalling can sustain crop production in heavy metal-stressed soils.

Abstract

Melatonin is a pleiotropic signal molecule that plays a critical role in plant growth and stress tolerance, particularly against heavy metals in soil. Heavy metals (HMs) are ubiquitously found in the soil–water environment and readily taken up by plants, thereby disrupting mineral nutrient homeostasis, osmotic balance, oxidative stress, and altered primary and secondary metabolism. Plants combat HM stress through inbuilt defensive mechanisms, such as metal exclusion, restricted foliar translocation, metal sequestration and compartmentalization, chelation, and scavenging of free radicals by antioxidant enzymes. Melatonin has a protective effect against the damaging effects of HM stress in plants. It achieves this by immobilizing HM in cell walls and sequestering them in root cell vacuoles, reducing HM's translocation from roots to shoots. This mechanism improves the uptake of macronutrients and micronutrients in plants. Additionally, melatonin enhances osmolyte production, improving the plant's water relations, and increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes to limit lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Melatonin also decreases chlorophyll degradation while increasing its synthesis, and enhances RuBisCO activity for better photosynthesis. All these functions contribute to improving the cellular functions of plants exposed to HM stress. This review aims to gain better insight into the melatonin-mediated response and signalling under HM stress in plants, which may be useful in sustaining crop production in heavy metal-stressed soils.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, People’s Republic of China

    Muhammad Ahsan Altaf

  2. Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, 173230, India

    Nitin Sharma

  3. Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Dipali Srivastava

  4. Institute of Bioinformatics Biotechnology (IBB), Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), Pune, Maharashtra, India

    Sayanti Mandal

  5. Division of Plant Physiology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Sandeep Adavi

  6. ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Odisha, 753006, India

    Rupak Jena & Awadhesh Kumar

  7. ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India

    Rakesh Kumar Bairwa

  8. Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India

    Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan

  9. Department of Life Sciences, Presidency University, 86/1 College Street, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700073, India

    Abhijit Dey

  10. ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, 171001, India

    Milan Kumar Lal, Rahul Kumar Tiwari & Ravinder Kumar

  11. Department of Botany, GDC, Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, 192301, India

    Parvaiz Ahmed

  12. ICAR-National Institute of Biotic Stress Management, Raipur, 493225, India

    Sandeep Adavi

  13. Department of Biotechnology, Dr. D. Y. Patil Arts, Commerce & Science College, Pimpri, Pune, 411018, India

    Sayanti Mandal

Authors
  1. Muhammad Ahsan Altaf
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  2. Nitin Sharma
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  8. Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan
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  9. Awadhesh Kumar
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  10. Abhijit Dey
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  11. Milan Kumar Lal
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  12. Rahul Kumar Tiwari
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  13. Ravinder Kumar
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  14. Parvaiz Ahmed
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Milan Kumar Lal, Rahul Kumar Tiwari, Ravinder Kumar or Parvaiz Ahmed.

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Altaf, M.A., Sharma, N., Srivastava, D. et al. Deciphering the melatonin-mediated response and signalling in the regulation of heavy metal stress in plants. Planta 257, 115 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-023-04146-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-023-04146-8

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