Biochemical, molecular, and elemental profiling of Withania somnifera L. with response to zinc stress

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 26; no. 4; pp. 4116 - 4129
• Main Authors: Rout, Jyoti Ranjan, Kerry, Rout George, Panigrahi, Debasna, Sahoo, Santi Lata, Pradhan, Chinmay, Ram, Shidharth Sankar, Chakraborty, Anindita, Sudarshan, Mathummal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.02.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antioxidants; Antioxidants - metabolism; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Catalase - metabolism; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Emission analysis; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Enzymes; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant - drug effects; Genes; Homeostasis; Metabolism; Metallurgical constituents; Metals; Molecular modelling; Oxidative stress; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plant sciences; Polymerase chain reaction; Proteins; Research Article; Stress; Stress, Physiological - drug effects; Superoxide dismutase; Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism; Toxicity; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Withania - drug effects; Withania - physiology; Withania somnifera; Zinc; Zinc - pharmacokinetics; Zinc - toxicity; Phytotoxicity; PIXE; Ashwagandha; Gene expression; Zinc excess; Antioxidant enzymes
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-3926-6

Zn stress seriously induces various toxic responses in Withania somnifera L., when accumulated above the threshold level which was confirmed by investigating the responses of protein, expression of antioxidant enzymes, and elemental profiling on accumulation of Zn. Zn was supplemented in the form of ZnSO 4 (0, 25, 50, 100, and 200 μM) through MS liquid medium and allowed to grow the in vitro germinated plants for 7 and 14 days. The study revealed that when the application of Zn increased, a significant reduction of growth characteristics was noticed with alterations of proteins (both disappearance and de novo synthesis). The activity of CAT, SOD, and GPX were increased up to certain concentrations and then declined, which confirmed through in-gel activity under different treatments. RT-PCR was conducted by taking three sets of genes from CAT ( RsCat , Catalase1 , Cat1 ) and SOD ( SodCp , TaSOD1.2 , MnSOD ) and found that gene RsCat from CAT and MnSOD from SOD have shown maximum expression of desired genes under Zn stress, which indicate plant’s stress tolerance mechanisms. The proton-induced X-ray emission study confirmed an increasing order of uptake of Zn in plants by suppressing and expressing other elemental constituents which cause metal homeostasis. This study provides insights into molecular mechanisms associated with Zn causing toxicity to plants; however, cellular and subcellular studies are essential to explore molecule-molecule interaction during Zn stress in plants.