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24-Epibrassinolide ameliorates the effects of boron toxicity on Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh by activating an antioxidant system and decreasing boron accumulation

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Abstract

Brassinosteroids (BRs) play a significant role in alleviating the negative effects of various environmental stresses and in promoting the growth and development of plants. In this study, we investigated the effects of 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) on the growth, boron (B) accumulation and activation of the antioxidant system of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh exposed to high concentrations of boric acid (BA). A. thaliana plants were grown in a hydroponic culture, and after 4 weeks, the plants were transferred to media containing either 0.80 or 1.60 mM BA. Following BA treatment, 0.01 and 1 µM EBL was sprayed on the entire foliar region of the seedlings. B toxicity induced oxidative stress and considerably inhibited the growth of the plants. The spraying of EBL on the B-treated plants resulted in increases in growth (both fresh and dry shoot mass, silique number, length and mass) and pigment content (total chlorophyll and carotenoids). Excessive B levels increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and guaiacol peroxidase, and increased the proline content in leaves of plants. However, treatment of the B-stressed plants with EBL further enhanced the activities of the antioxidant enzymes and increased the content of proline. The high level of lipid peroxidation in plants observed during exposure to a higher level of BA was decreased following EBL treatment. Thus, this study showed that the exogenous application of EBL ameliorates the toxic effects of B in a model plant by improving the plant’s antioxidant system and decreasing B accumulation. To our knowledge, this is the one of the first studies to examine the effect of BR in plants subjected to B toxicity.

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Abbreviations

APX:

Ascorbate peroxidase

B:

Boron

BA:

Boric acid

BL:

Brassinolide

BR:

Brassinosteroid

CAT:

Catalase

Chl:

Chlorophyll

CS:

Castasterone

EBL:

24-Epibrassinolide

EDTA:

Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid

GPX:

Guaiacol peroxidase

ICP-OES:

Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

HBL:

28-Homobrassinolide

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

NBT:

Nitroblue tetrazolium

PVPP:

Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

TBA:

Thiobarbituric acid

TCA:

Trichloroacetic acid

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Acknowledgments

This project was a part of PhD thesis of Y. Surgun and funded by the Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Scientific Research Projects Coordination (Project Number 2011/36).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, 48000, Muğla, Turkey

    Yonca Surgun

  2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, 48000, Muğla, Turkey

    Bekir Çöl & Betül Bürün

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  1. Yonca Surgun
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  2. Bekir Çöl
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Correspondence to Yonca Surgun.

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Communicated by S. Renault.

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Surgun, Y., Çöl, B. & Bürün, B. 24-Epibrassinolide ameliorates the effects of boron toxicity on Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh by activating an antioxidant system and decreasing boron accumulation. Acta Physiol Plant 38, 71 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-016-2088-8

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