An underground strategy to increase mercury tolerance in the salt marsh halophyte Juncus maritimus Lam.: Lipid remodelling and Hg restriction

Salt marshes are coastal ecosystems which are declining due to global warming and pollution, such as mercury (Hg) pollution. The extra- and intracellular mechanisms of tolerance to Hg in plants are identified but the involvement of the plasma membrane is poorly known. This study aims to identify the...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Figueira, Etelvina, Matos, Diana, Cardoso, Paulo, Sá, Carina, Fernandes, Célia, Tauler, Romà, Bedia, Carmen
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/249502
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/249502
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Lipids
Juncus maritimus
Mercury
Salt-marsh
Membrane rafts
Antioxidant mechanisms
Descripción
Sumario:Salt marshes are coastal ecosystems which are declining due to global warming and pollution, such as mercury (Hg) pollution. The extra- and intracellular mechanisms of tolerance to Hg in plants are identified but the involvement of the plasma membrane is poorly known. This study aims to identify the effects induced by Hg in plant membranes and to unravel their role on plants tolerance to Hg. Juncus maritimus was collected from a salt marsh historically contaminated with Hg. Two sites differing in Hg contamination were chosen. Hg concentration, membrane damage, antioxidant response and lipidomic analysis were performed in the different plant organs (roots, rhizome and leaves). The strategy of J. maritimus to tolerate environments contaminated by Hg seems to rely on restricting the entrance of Hg into the root cells, with a remodeling of root lipids contributing to the efficiency of this mechanism. The root lipids remodelling acts by protecting the cellular metabolism from Hg toxicity and thus reducing the effort of cells in counteracting Hg effects (e.g., antioxidant mechanisms). This knowledge can be used to develop strategies to preserve these important but vulnerable ecosystems, and can also be relevant for phytoremediation approaches.