Original scientific paper

Role of antioxidant enzyme responses and phytochelatins in tolerance strategies of Alhagi camelorum Fisch growing on copper mine

Masoud M. A. Boojar ; Department of Biology, University of Tarbiat Moalem, 49 Mofateh Avenue, Tehran, P.O. Box: 15614, Iran.

Abstract

This study was performed to clarify some aspects of tolerance mechanisms against excess copper (Cu) in Alhagi camelorum Fisch, a dominant wild type plant growing in a Cu-contaminated zone and its vicinity. Total and available copper was at toxic levels for plants
growing on the contaminated soil. There were no visual and onspicuous symptoms of Cu toxicity in this plant species. Most of the excess Cu in soil was transferred to and accumulated in plant leaves in which the storage rate in vacuoles and chloroplasts was 48% and
7% respectively. There was an insignificant decrease in chlorophyll content and a significant increase in tissues phytochelatins and antioxidant enzyme activities in plants collected from the contaminated zone as compared to plants of the same species growing on uncontaminated soil. We also observed significant elevation in oxidative damage biomarkers, malondialdehyde and dityrosine, when the aerial parts of Alhagi camelorum were compared with the same parts of the plant collected from an uncontaminated zone. Alhagi camelorum elevated its antioxidative enzyme activities, phytochelatins and accumulated the excess of Cu in leaf vacuoles in response to Cu-toxicity as tolerance strategy.

Keywords

Copper; metal; toxicity; antioxidant; phytochelatin; tolerance

Hrčak ID:

50779

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/50779

Publication date:

17.4.2010.

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