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Cascade transduction and production of the light-nitric oxide signal from shoots to roots in maize seedlings exposed to enhanced UV-B radiation

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Abstract

The biomasses, rate of apparent nitric oxide (NO)-release, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity as well as β-d-endo and exo-glucanase activity of the cell wall were analyzed and determined in the roots of maize seedlings. It was found that rhizospheric treatments of 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethlimida-zoline-l-oxyl-3-oxide (PTIO), a NO scavenger, and radiation of enhanced ultraviolet-B (UV-B) to aerial parts of the seedling markedly inhibited the rate of NO release in roots, raised the activity of β-d-endo and exo-glucanase, and increased the biomasses of roots. The patent inhibitor, N-nitro-l-arginine (LNNA), of NOS was unable to inhibit NOS activity and NO generation. Inversely, reactive oxygen species (ROS) eliminator, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), stimulated the rate of NO release. There is no relationship between NOS activity and the rate of NO release. The latter showed a positive correlation with nitrate reductase (NR) activity, whereas it showed a negative correlation with the bio-masses and the activity of β-d-endo and exo-glucanase. All results implicated that NO was a by-product generated by NR catalysis, whereas NR activity was sensitively repressed by the systemic signal network (involved in ROS) induced by enhanced UV-B. It indicated that the downstream signal molecule of enhanced UV-B light is probably ROS which decreased NO generation through inhibiting NR activity. The endogenous NO generated by NR catalysis is perhaps such a messenger for restraining β-d-endo and exo-glucanase activity that the root growth was retarded.

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Abbreviations

CK:

Normal level

LNNA:

N-nitro-l-arginine

NAC:

N-acetyl-cysteine

NO:

Nitric oxide

NOS:

Nitric oxide synthase

NR:

Nitrate reductase

PTIO:

2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-l-oxyl-3-oxide

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SNP:

Sodium nitroprusside

UV-B:

Ultraviolet-B

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by The Gansu Province Natural Science Fund (3ZS051-A25-067) and the Natural Science Fund of China (No: 30670319).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cold and Arid Region Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 730000, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Manxiao Zhang, Guangxiu Liu, Tuo Chen & Lizhe An

  2. School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, 730000, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Lizhe An & Xunling Wang

  3. Lanzhou Petrochemical College of Technology, 730060, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Manxiao Zhang & Lizhe An

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  1. Manxiao Zhang
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  2. Guangxiu Liu
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  3. Tuo Chen
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  4. Lizhe An
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Correspondence to Lizhe An.

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Communicated by G. Bartosz.

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Zhang, M., Liu, G., Chen, T. et al. Cascade transduction and production of the light-nitric oxide signal from shoots to roots in maize seedlings exposed to enhanced UV-B radiation. Acta Physiol Plant 31, 175–185 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-008-0218-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-008-0218-7

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