Microtubule response to salt stress

Abstract

This study has aimed to investigate the relationship between salt stress, programmed cell death (PCD) and microtubule distribution in terms of duration and stress dose. PCD is an important mechanism that benefits living organisms throughout their lives. On the other hand, PCD is an indirect effect that reduces efficiency when it occurs under stress. In this research The maize (Zea mays) roots were exposed to salt stress with 0, 50, 100, 300 and 500 mM NaCl. The prepared paraffin sections of these five groups were subjected to DAPI (4-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) and TUNEL analysis to study the morphological changes caused by stress-induced nuclear degeneration. PCD was determined. Microtubule labeling analysis was performed on the tissues to determine whether there were stress-induced microtubule changes in these cells and disturbances were found; they exhibited aggregation, regional thickening, and random distribution around the nucleus and vacuole and under the cell wall. When all groups were evaluated, cells exposed to a salt concentration of 50 mM (even after 24 hours) were significantly less damaged than cells at other concentrations (100, 300, and 500 mM) at each time point. The rate of progression and spread to the whole tissue was significantly higher at 300 and 500 mM salt concentrations compared to the other groups. To reduce economic losses in salty soils, it is of great importance to fully investigate stress. The data that will emerge from our research, which is the subject of a small number of studies, will help to understand the mechanism of stress, microtubule and PCD.

Keywords

• maize
• microtubules
• programmed cell death
• salt stress
• TUNEL