Glutathione metabolic genes coordinately respond to heavy metals and jasmonic acid in Arabidopsis

• Published in: The Plant cell Vol. 10; no. 9; pp. 1539 - 1550
• Main Authors: Xiang, C. (Iowa State University, Ames, IA.), Oliver, D.J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society of Plant Physiologists 01.09.1998
• Subjects: 2,4-D; ACIDE JASMONIQUE; ACIDE SALICYLIQUE; ACIDO JASMONICO; ACIDO SALICILICO; ANTIMETABOLITE; ANTIMETABOLITES; ANTIMETABOLITOS; Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis - drug effects; Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - metabolism; ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA; ARN MENSAJERO; ARN MESSAGER; BIOSINTESIS; BIOSYNTHESE; BIOSYNTHESIS; BUTATHIONE SULFOXIMINE; CADMIO; CADMIUM; CATION; CATIONES; CATIONS; CICLOHEXIMIDA; COBRE; COPPER; CUIVRE; CYCLOHEXIMIDE; Cyclopentanes; Cyclopentanes - pharmacology; DIAMIDE; drug effects; Enzymes; ESTIMULO; EXPRESION GENICA; EXPRESSION DES GENES; FITOQUELATOS; GAMMA-GLUTAMYLCYSTEINE SYNTHETASE; GENE; GENE EXPRESSION; Gene Expression - drug effects; Gene expression regulation; GENES; Genes, Plant; Genes, Plant - drug effects; GENETIC REGULATION; GENETICA; GENETICS; GENETIQUE; glutamate-cysteine ligase; GLUTATHION; GLUTATHIONE; Glutathione - biosynthesis; Glutathione - metabolism; GLUTATHIONE REDUCTASE (NAD(P)H); GLUTATHIONE SYNTHASE; glutathione-disulfide reductase; GLUTATION; Heavy metals; Homeostasis; HYDROGEN PEROXIDE; Hydrogen Peroxide - pharmacology; JASMONIC ACID; LIGASAS; LIGASE; LIGASES; Liquids; MESSENGER RNA; metabolic inhibitors; metabolism; METAL; metal ions; METALES; Metalloproteins; Metalloproteins - biosynthesis; METALS; Metals, Heavy; Metals, Heavy - toxicity; METHYL JASMONATE; METHYL VIOLOGEN; OXIDANTES; OXIDANTS; Oxidative Stress; OXIDOREDUCTASES; OXIDORREDUCTASAS; OXYDANT; OXYDOREDUCTASE; Oxylipins; PEROXIDO DE HIDROGENO; PEROXYDE D'HYDROGENE; pharmacology; PHYTOCHELATINE; PHYTOCHELATINS; Plant cells; Plant Growth Regulators; Plant Growth Regulators - pharmacology; Plant Proteins; Plant Proteins - biosynthesis; Plants; RNA; RNA, Messenger; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; RNA, Plant; RNA, Plant - genetics; RNA, Plant - metabolism; salicylic acid; SALICYLIC ACIDS; STIMULI; STIMULUS; STRUCTURAL GENES; toxicity; TRANSCRIPCION; TRANSCRIPTION; transcription (genetics)
• ISSN: 1040-4651; 1532-298X
• DOI: 10.1105/tpc.10.9.1539

Glutathione plays a pivotal role in protecting plants from environmental stresses, oxidative stress, xenobiotics, and some heavy metals. Arabidopsis plants treated with cadmium or copper responded by increasing transcription of the genes for glutathione synthesis, gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione synthetase, as well as glutathione reductase. The response was specific for those metals whose toxicity is thought to be migrated through phytochelatins, and other toxic and nontoxic metals did not alter mRNA levels. Feeding experiments suggested that neither oxidative stress, as results from exposure to H2O2, nor oxidized or reduced glutathione levels were responsible for activating transcription of these genes. Jasmonic acid also activated the same suite of genes, which suggests that it might be involved in the signal transduction pathway for copper and cadmium. Jasmonic acid treatment increased mRNA levels and the capacity for glutathione synthesis but did not alter the glutathione content in unstressed plants, which supports the idea that the glutathione concentration is controlled at multiple levels