Sulfate supplementation affects nutrient and photosynthetic status of Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum differently under prolonged exposure to cadmium

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 445; p. 130527
• Main Authors: Lyčka, Martin, Barták, Miloš, Helia, Ondřej, Kopriva, Stanislav, Moravcová, Dana, Hájek, Josef, Fojt, Lukáš, Čmelík, Richard, Fajkus, Jiří, Fojtová, Miloslava
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 05-03-2023
• Subjects: Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis thaliana; Cadmium; Cadmium - toxicity; Dietary Supplements; Glucosinolates - pharmacology; Heavy metal stress; Nicotiana; Nicotiana tabacum; Nutrients; Phytochelatins; Plant Roots; Sulfate; Sulfates - pharmacology; Arabidopsis thaliana; Cadmium; Sulfate; Nicotiana tabacum; Heavy metal stress
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130527

Hydroponic experiments were performed to examine the effect of prolonged sulfate limitation combined with cadmium (Cd) exposure in Arabidopsis thaliana and a potential Cd hyperaccumulator, Nicotiana tabacum. Low sulfate treatments (20 and 40 µM MgSO4) and Cd stress (4 µM CdCl2) showed adverse effects on morphology, photosynthetic and biochemical parameters and the nutritional status of both species. For example, Cd stress decreased NO3- root content under 20 µM MgSO4 to approximately 50% compared with respective controls. Interestingly, changes in many measured parameters, such as chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, the concentrations of anions, nutrients and Cd, induced by low sulfate supply, Cd exposure or a combination of both factors, were species-specific. Our data showed opposing effects of Cd exposure on Ca, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn levels in roots of the studied plants. In A. thaliana, levels of glutathione, phytochelatins and glucosinolates demonstrated their distinct involvement in response to sub-optimal growth conditions and Cd stress. In shoot, the levels of phytochelatins and glucosinolates in the organic sulfur fraction were not dependent on sulfate supply under Cd stress. Altogether, our data showed both common and species-specific features of the complex plant response to prolonged sulfate deprivation and/or Cd exposure.
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•Effects of low S and Cd stress on nutrient composition are mostly species specific.•Under restricted S, Cd does not negatively affect GLS content in A. thaliana shoot.•Cd affects chlorophyll a/b ratio in A. thaliana, but not in N. tabacum.•S supply interacts with Cd stress in inhibition of photosynthetic processes at PSII.