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Effects of selenate and red Se-nanoparticles on the photosynthetic apparatus of Nicotiana tabacum

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Abstract

Selenium (Se) is a natural trace element, which shifts its action in a relatively narrow concentration range from nutritional role to toxicity. Although it has been well established that in plants chloroplasts are among the primary targets, the mechanism of toxicity on photosynthesis is not well understood. Here, we compared selenate and red-allotrope elemental selenium nanoparticles (red nanoSe) in in vitro tobacco cultures to investigate their effects on the structure and functions of the photosynthetic machinery. Selenate at 10 mg/L concentration retarded plant growth; it also led to a decreased chlorophyll content, accompanied with an increase in the carotenoid-to-chlorophyll ratio. Structural examinations of the photosynthetic machinery, using electron microscopy, small-angle neutron scattering and circular dichroism spectroscopy, revealed significant perturbation in the macro-organization of the pigment-protein complexes and sizeable shrinkage in the repeat distance of granum thylakoid membranes. As shown by chlorophyll a fluorescence transient measurements, these changes in the ultrastructure were associated with a significantly diminished photosystem II activity and a reduced performance of the photosynthetic electron transport, and an enhanced capability of non-photochemical quenching. These changes in the structure and function of the photosynthetic apparatus explain, at least in part, the retarded growth of plantlets in the presence of 10 mg/L selenate. In contrast, red nanoSe, even at 100 mg/L and selenate at 1 mg/L, exerted no negative effect on the growth of plantlets and affected only marginally the thylakoid membrane ultrastructure and the photosynthetic functions.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the “ÚNKP-17-4 New National Excellence Program of the Ministry of Human Capacities” and by grants from the National Research Development and Innovation Office of Hungary (OTKA KH 124985 to GG and GINOP-2.2.1-15-2017-00051 to MF and OTKA NN 114524 to SZT). Zs L-SZ was supported by the European Union and the State of Hungary, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund in the project of GINOP-2.3.2.-15-2016-00009 ‘ICER’.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Plant Biology, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, POB 521, Szeged, 6701, Hungary

    Ottó Zsiros, Valéria Nagy, Gergely Nagy, Szilvia Zita Tóth & Győző Garab

  2. Institute of Biophysics, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, POB 521, Szeged, 6701, Hungary

    Árpád Párducz

  3. Laboratory for Neutron Scattering, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland

    Gergely Nagy & Renáta Ünnep

  4. Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, POB 49, Budapest, 1525, Hungary

    Gergely Nagy & Renáta Ünnep

  5. Department of Soil and Water Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh Uni, 33516, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt

    Hassan El-Ramady

  6. Bio- and Environmental Enegetics Inst., Nano Food Lab, Debrecen University, Boszormenyi 138, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary

    József Prokisch

  7. Isotope Climatology and Environmental Research Centre, Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Debrecen, 4026, Hungary

    Zsuzsa Lisztes-Szabó

  8. Department of Agricultural Botany, Plant Physiology and Biotechnology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem ter 1, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary

    Hassan El-Ramady, Miklós Fári & Éva Domokos-Szabolcsy

  9. Department of Crop Production and Applied Ecology, University of Debrecen, Boszormenyi 138, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary

    József Csajbók

  10. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Ostrava University, Chittussiho 10, 710 0, Ostrava – Slezská Ostrava, Czech Republic

    Győző Garab

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  1. Ottó Zsiros
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Correspondence to Éva Domokos-Szabolcsy.

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Zsiros, O., Nagy, V., Párducz, Á. et al. Effects of selenate and red Se-nanoparticles on the photosynthetic apparatus of Nicotiana tabacum. Photosynth Res 139, 449–460 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-018-0599-4

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