Aluminum toxicity studies in Vaucheria longicaulis var. macounii (Xanthophyta, Tribophyceae). II. Effects on the F-actin array

Nickel uptake kinetics and its structural and physiological impacts in the seagrass Halophila stipulacea

The present work aims to provide insight into interactions between trace metals and higher plants, focusing on nickel uptake and its effects in seagrasses at environmentally relevant concentrations. Total and intracellular nickel accumulation kinetics, nickel effects on structural cell components, oxidative stress marker and cellular viability, and the accumulation kinetics-toxic effects relationship were investigated in leaves of Halophila stipulacea plants incubated in seawater under laboratory conditions containing nickel ions at 0.01-10 mg L^-1 for 14 days. Nickel accumulation kinetics in H. stipulacea young and older apical leaves followed a Michaelis-Menten-type equation, allowing the calculation of uptake parameters; uptake rate (V_c) and equilibrium concentration (C_eq) tended to increase with the increase of nickel concentration in the medium. A dose- and uptake parameter-dependent actin filament (AF) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) impairment was observed, whereas no effects occurred on microtubules and cell ultrastructure. AF disturbance and ER aggregation were firstly observed in differentiated cells at the lowest concentration on the 12th and 14th day, respectively, while AF disruption in meristematic cells firstly occurred at 0.05 mg L^-1; the effects appeared earlier and were more acute at higher concentrations. Increased H₂O₂ levels were detected, while, at the highest exposures, a significant reduction in epidermal cell viability in older leaves occurred. The lowest total nickel concentrations in young leaves associated with AF disturbance onset at nickel exposure concentrations of 0.01-1 mg L^-1 varied between 18.98 and 63.93 μg g^-1 dry wt; importantly, they were comparable to nickel concentrations detected in seagrass leaves from various locations. The relationships between exposure concentration, uptake kinetic parameters and toxic effect onset were satisfactorily described by regression models. Our findings suggest that (a) nickel may pose a threat to seagrass meadows, (b) H. stipulacea can be regarded as an efficient biomonitor of nickel, (c) AF and ER impairment in seagrass leaves can be considered as early biomarkers of nickel-induced stress, and (d) the regression models obtained can be used as a tool to evaluate ambient nickel levels and to detect ecotoxicologically significant nickel contamination. The data presented can be utilized in the management and conservation of the coastal environment.

Pb-induced avoidance-like chloroplast movements in fronds of Lemna trisulca L

Lead ions are particularly dangerous to the photosynthetic apparatus, but little is known about the effects of trace metals, including Pb, on regulation of chloroplast redistribution. In this study a new effect of lead on chloroplast distribution patterns and movements was demonstrated in mesophyll cells of a small-sized aquatic angiosperm Lemna trisulca L. (star duckweed). An analysis of confocal microscopy images of L. trisulca fronds treated with lead (15 μM Pb2+, 24 h) in darkness or in weak white light revealed an enhanced accumulation of chloroplasts in the profile position along the anticlinal cell walls, in comparison to untreated plants. The rearrangement of chloroplasts in their response to lead ions in darkness was similar to the avoidance response of chloroplasts in plants treated with strong white light. Transmission electron microscopy X-ray microanalysis showed that intracellular chloroplast arrangement was independent of the location of Pb deposits, suggesting that lead causes redistribution of chloroplasts, which looks like a light-induced avoidance response, but is not a real avoidance response to the metal. Furthermore, a similar redistribution of chloroplasts in L. trisulca cells in darkness was observed also under the influence of exogenously applied hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). In addition, we detected an enhanced accumulation of endogenous H2O2 after treatment of plants with lead. Interestingly, H2O2-specific scavenger catalase partly abolished the Pb-induced chloroplast response. These results suggest that H2O2 can be involved in the avoidance-like movement of chloroplasts induced by lead. Analysis of photometric measurements revealed also strong inhibition (but not complete) of blue-light-induced chloroplast movements by lead. This inhibition may result from disturbances in the actin cytoskeleton, as we observed fragmentation and disappearance of actin filaments around chloroplasts. Results of this study show that the mechanisms of the toxic effect of lead on chloroplasts can include disturbances in their movement and distribution pattern.

Aluminium ions inhibit the formation of diacylglycerol generated by phosphatidylcholine-hydrolysing phospholipase C in tobacco cells

• Aluminium ions (Al) have been recognized as a major toxic factor for crop production in acidic soils. This study aimed to assess the impact of Al on the activity of phosphatidylcholine-hydrolysing phospholipase C (PC-PLC), a new member of the plant phospholipase family. • We labelled the tobacco cell line BY-2 and pollen tubes with a fluorescent derivative of phosphatidylcholine and assayed for patterns of fluorescently labelled products. Growth of pollen tubes was analysed. • We observed a significant decrease of labelled diacylglycerol (DAG) in cells treated with AlCl(3). Investigation of possible metabolic pathways that control DAG generation and consumption during the response to Al showed that DAG originated from the reaction catalysed by PC-PLC. The growth of pollen tubes was retarded in the presence of Al and this effect was accompanied by the decrease of labelled DAG similar to the case of the BY-2 cell line. The growth of pollen tubes arrested by Al was rescued by externally added DAG. • Our observation strongly supports the role of DAG generated by PC-PLC in the response of tobacco cells to Al.

Aluminium causes variable responses in actin filament cytoskeleton of the root tip cells of Triticum turgidum

The effects of aluminium on the actin filament (AF) cytoskeleton of Triticum turgidum meristematic root tip cells were examined. In short treatments (up to 2 h) with 50-1000 microM AlCl3.6H2O, interphase cells displayed numerous AFs arrayed in thick bundles that lined the plasmalemma and traversed the endoplasm in different directions. Measurements using digital image analysis and assessment of the overall AF fluorescence revealed that, in short treatments, the affected cells possessed 25-30% more AFs than the untreated ones. The thick AF bundles were not formed in the Al-treated cells in the presence of the myosin inhibitors 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM) and 1-(5-iodonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl)-1H-hexahydro-1,4-diazepine (ML-7), a fact suggesting that myosins are involved in AF bundling. In longer Al treatments, the AF bundles were disorganised, forming granular actin accumulations, a process that was completed after 4 h of treatment. In the Al-treated cells, increased amounts of callose were uniformly deposited along the whole surface of the cell walls. In contrast, callose formed local deposits in the Al-treated cells in the presence of cytochalasin B, BDM, or ML-7. These results favour the hypothesis that the actomyosin system in the Al-treated cells, among other roles, participates in the mechanism controlling callose deposition.

Role of dynamics of intracellular calcium in aluminium-toxicity syndrome

This review is concentrating on the role of aluminium (Al)-calcium (Ca) interactions in Al toxicity syndrome in plants. Disruption of cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ homeostasis has been suggested as a primary trigger of Al toxicity. Aluminium causes an increase in cytosolic Ca²⁺ activity, potentially disrupting numerous biochemical and physiological processes, including those involved in the root growth. The source of Ca²⁺ for the increase in cytosolic Ca²⁺ activity under Al exposure is partly extracellular (likely to be due to the Al-resistant portion of the flux through depolarization-activated Ca²⁺ channels and fluxes through Ca²⁺ -permeable nonselective cation channels in the plasma membrane) as well as intracellular (increased cytosolic Ca²⁺ activity enhances the activity of Ca²⁺ release channels in the tonoplast and the endoplasmic reticulum membrane). The effect on increased cytosolic Ca²⁺ activity of possible Al-related inhibition of the plasma membrane and endo-membrane Ca²⁺ -ATPases and Ca²⁺ exchangers (CaX) that sequester Ca²⁺ out of the cytosol is insufficiently documented at present. The relationship between Al toxicity, cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ homeostasis and cytoplasmic pH needs to be elucidated. Technical improvements that would allow measurements of cytosolic Ca²⁺ activity within the short time after exposure to Al (seconds or shorter) are eagerly awaited. Contents I. Introduction 296 II. Symptoms of aluminium toxicity 296 III. Calcium - aluminium interactions 297 IV. The role of electrical properties of the plasma membrane in calcium-aluminium interactions 306 V. Oxidative stress 307 VI. Callose 308 VII. Cytoskeleton 308 VIII. Conclusions 309 Acknowledgements 309 References 309.

Aluminum toxicity studies in Vaucheria longicaulis var. macounii (Xanthophyta, Tribophyceae). I. Effects on cytoplasmic organization

Using differential interference contrast (DIC) and epifluorescence microscopy, we tested the hypothesis that exposure to environmentally significant levels of aluminum (Al) would cause rapid changes in cytoplasmic organization in vegetative filaments of the coenocytic alga, Vaucheria longicaulis Hoppaugh var. macounii Blum resulting in the loss of cytoplasmic streaming. In untreated cells, DIC microscopy revealed the presence of cortical cytoplasmic strands that were oriented longitudinally to the cell axis as well as sub-cortical cytoplasmic strands that exhibited a reticulate morphology. Organelles such as chloroplasts and mitochondria translocated throughout the cell in close association with the cortical longitudinal cytoplasmic strands. Staining with the lipophilic dye, 3,3-dihexyloloxacarbocyanine, revealed structures that appeared to be endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This organelle closely resembled, in location and appearance, the cytoplasmic strands visualized using DIC microscopy. The addition of Al (80 µM) resulted in the inhibition of cytoplasmic streaming as well as the dissipation of the putative cortical longitudinal ER within one minute. Subsequently, the DIC-visible cortical cytoplasmic strands exhibited progressive degrees of disorganization. Throughout these changes, chloroplasts and mitochondria remained visibly associated with the cortical cytoplasmic strands.