Journal of Agricultural Sciences (Sep 2016)

Effects of Lead Pb and Cadmium Cd Elements on Lipid Peroxidation, Catalase Enzyme Activity and Catalase Gene Expression Profile in Tomato Plants

  • Semra Soydam Aydın,
  • İlker Büyük,
  • Esra Gökçe Gündüzer,
  • Burcu Pelin Büyük,
  • İrfan Kandemir,
  • Sümer Aras,
  • Demet Cansaran-duman

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1501/Tarimbil_0000001412
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 22, no. 4
pp. 539 – 547

Abstract

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Heavy metals are significant abiotic stress factor, affecting various response mechanisms in plants. These responses include: changes in membrane composition, production of small molecules and free radicals, and alterations in the activities of antioxidant enzymes and their gene expressions. For this reason, lipid peroxidation levels MDA , catalase enzyme activity, and gene expression profiles, quantified by real-time PCR, were analyzed in tomato plants exposed to various concentrations 0, 80, 160, 320, 640 and 1280 μM of Cd2+ and Pb2+. All concentration of Cd+2 or Pb+2 contamination led to increased lipid peroxidation and catalase enzyme activity, except for 320 and 640 μM Cd+2 contamination levels. As a result, gene expression patterns at the mRNA level and changes in MDA content under different concentrations of Pb+2 and Cd+2 contamination revealed a positive correlation, although no correlation was found between gene expression patterns at the mRNA level and catalase enzyme activity. These results might be explained by the regulation of genes at the transcriptional, posttranscriptional, and also translational or posttranslational levels

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