Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 13, 2025
07:42
Rapid Analysis of Circadian Phenotypes in Arabidopsis Protoplasts Transfected with a Luminescent Clock Reporter
Published on: September 17, 2016
12.9K
Melatonin Confers Plant Cadmium Tolerance: An Update
Quan Gu1, Chuyan Wang1, Qingqing Xiao1
1School of Biology, Food and Environment, Hefei University, Hefei 230601, China.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|November 13, 2021
Summary
Melatonin enhances plant tolerance to cadmium (Cd) stress by boosting antioxidant defenses and regulating metal transport. Its interaction with hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in Cd tolerance is a key area of ongoing research.
Area of Science:
- Plant Physiology
- Environmental Toxicology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal that severely impacts plant growth and development.
- Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a plant-derived molecule known to mitigate various abiotic and biotic stresses, including Cd toxicity.
- Melatonin's protective role involves enhancing antioxidant systems and modulating metal homeostasis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the physiological and molecular mechanisms by which melatonin confers tolerance to cadmium stress in plants.
- To explore the role of melatonin in regulating Cd transport and sequestration.
- To discuss the potential involvement and interaction of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in melatonin-mediated Cd tolerance.
Main Methods:
- Literature review summarizing existing research on melatonin and cadmium stress in plants.
- Analysis of molecular pathways, including gene expression related to metal transport and antioxidant defense.
- Investigation of signaling molecules like nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), salicylic acid (SA), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S).
Main Results:
- Melatonin improves redox homeostasis by strengthening the plant's antioxidant defense system.
- Melatonin influences Cd transport and sequestration by regulating genes involved in metal uptake and storage, increasing glutathione (GSH) and phytochelatins (PCs).
- Melatonin activates downstream signaling pathways involving NO, H2O2, and SA, crucial for plant Cd tolerance.
Conclusions:
- Melatonin is a key endogenous and exogenous factor in enhancing plant resistance to cadmium stress through multiple physiological and molecular strategies.
- The precise role and interaction of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in melatonin-induced cadmium tolerance require further investigation.
- Understanding these complex interactions can lead to strategies for improving crop resilience in contaminated environments.
Related Concept Videos
02:45Biological Clocks and Seasonal Responses
39.6K
The circadian—or biological—clock is an intrinsic, timekeeping, molecular mechanism that allows plants to coordinate physiological activities over 24-hour cycles called circadian rhythms. Photoperiodism is a collective term for the biological responses of plants to variations in the relative lengths of dark and light periods. The period of light-exposure is called the photoperiod.
39.6K
01:27C4 Pathway and CAM
46.7K
Most plants use the C3 pathway for carbon fixation. However, some plants, such as sugar cane, corn, and cacti that grow in hot conditions, use alternative pathways to fix carbon and conserve energy loss due to photorespiration. Photorespiration is the process that occurs when the oxygen concentration is high. Under such conditions, the rubisco enzyme in the Calvin cycle binds O2 instead of CO2, which halts photosynthesis and consumes energy.
C4 Pathway
The C4 pathway is used by plants such as...
C4 Pathway
The C4 pathway is used by plants such as...
46.7K
02:02Responses to Salt Stress
13.6K
Salt stress—which can be triggered by high salt concentrations in a plant’s environment—can significantly affect plant growth and crop production by influencing photosynthesis and the absorption of water and nutrients.
13.6K
02:00Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light
26.2K
Light plays a significant role in regulating the growth and development of plants. In addition to providing energy for photosynthesis, light provides other important cues to regulate a range of developmental and physiological responses in plants.
26.2K
01:57Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
26.7K
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.
26.7K
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
14.0K
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
14.0K