Photosynthetica 1999, 36(1):171-179 | DOI: 10.1023/A:1007087224559

Glutathione counteracts the inhibitory effect induced by cadmium on photosynthetic process in soybean

F. El-Shintinawy1
1 Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

In soybean seedlings, Cd2+ affected growth and inhibited photosynthesis. Both the length and fresh mass decreased more in roots than in shoots. Cd2+ stress caused an increase in ratio of chlorophyll (Chl) (a+b)/b by 1.3 fold and ratio of total xanthophylls/β-carotene by 3 fold compared to the control. A reduced activity of photosystem 2 by about 85 % measured in Cd2+-treated chloroplasts was associated with a dramatic quenching of fluorescence emission intensity, with a band shift of 4 nm. A major suppression of absorption was accompanied with shift in peaks in the visible region of the spectrum. In Cd2+-treated chloroplasts a selective decline in linolenic acid (18:3), the most unsaturated fatty acid of chloroplasts, paralleled with the ten fold enhancement in ethylene production. A three fold increase in peroxidase activity was found in chloroplasts treated with Cd2+ compared to the control . Addition of 1 mM glutathione (GSH) counteracted all the retardation effects in soybean seedling growth induced by Cd2+. Thus GSH may control the Cd2+ growth inhibition as it detoxifies Cd2+ by reducing its concentration in the cytoplasm and removing hydrogen peroxide generated in chloroplasts.

Additional key words: carotenoids; chlorophyll; ethylene; fluorescence emission spectra; fresh and dry mass of roots and shoots; Glycine; leaf and root dimensions; lipid peroxidation; photosystem 2

Published: June 1, 1999  Show citation

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El-Shintinawy, F. (1999). Glutathione counteracts the inhibitory effect induced by cadmium on photosynthetic process in soybean. Photosynthetica, 36(1-2), 171-179. doi: 10.1023/A:1007087224559
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