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Metal Signaling in Plants: New Possibilities for Crop Management Under Cadmium-Contaminated Soils

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Biomanagement of Metal-Contaminated Soils

Part of the book series: Environmental Pollution ((EPOL,volume 20))

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Abstract

Metal stress restricts plant growth and distribution and has become a widespread problem. Plants can respond to toxic metals in a variety of ways, but the most important of them is the production of phytochelatins (PC). The know­ledge of how plants perceive metal presence and switch on or off the PC synthesis pathway could help understanding the metal tolerance mechanisms in plants. This knowledge can be used for enhancing crop tolerance in metal-polluted soils and for metal phytoremediation techniques. However, the signaling mediators that trigger metal tolerance mechanisms such as synthesis of phytochelatins are still largely unknown. Here, we discuss the importance of signal transduction in phytochelatin synthesis and cadmium tolerance, identifying specific signal transducers that may be involved in increasing PC production or reducing metal uptake in plants by analyzing the role of calcium signals, protein phosphatases, and reactive oxygen species induction during metal detection and response in plants. The understanding of signaling networks can open new possibilities to design crops with abilities to better adapt to excess metal conditions. Therefore, the process of PC synthesis and Cd absorption was analyzed in Arabidopsis thaliana cells, using different pharmacological modulators of the cytoplasmatic calcium levels and PP1 activity, as well as the addition of ROS. With these procedures, we expect to show a possible pathway for Cd signaling and PC induction in plants that can be used for regulating Cd uptake and tolerance in plants and thus could be used as a tool in the development of rational breeding programs and transgenic approaches.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Cell Biology, Biology Department, University of Aveiro, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Ana Lima & Etelvina Figueira

Authors
  1. Ana Lima
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  2. Etelvina Figueira
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Correspondence to Etelvina Figueira .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fac. Agricultural Sciences, Dept. Agricultural Microbiology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, 202002, India

    Mohammad Saghir Khan

  2. Fac. Agricultural Sciences, Dept. Agricultural Microbiology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, 202002, India

    Almas Zaidi

  3. , Department of Microbiology, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agricu, Pantnagar, 263145, India

    Reeta Goel

  4. , Department of Zoology, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Javed Musarrat

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Lima, A., Figueira, E. (2011). Metal Signaling in Plants: New Possibilities for Crop Management Under Cadmium-Contaminated Soils. In: Khan, M., Zaidi, A., Goel, R., Musarrat, J. (eds) Biomanagement of Metal-Contaminated Soils. Environmental Pollution, vol 20. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1914-9_10

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