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An oxidative burst of hydrogen peroxide during rehydration following desiccation in the moss Atrichum androgynum
Author(s) -
Mayaba Nosisa,
Minibayeva Farida,
Beckett Richard Peter
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1469-8137.2002.00454.x
Subject(s) - desiccation , hydrogen peroxide , abscisic acid , moss , chemistry , desiccation tolerance , respiratory burst , botany , biochemistry , biology , gene
Summary• The Afromontane understorey moss Atrichum androgynumis shown here to display an oxidative burst of hydrogen peroxide (H2 O 2 ) during rehydration following desiccation. • Maximum rates of H 2 O 2 production, assayed spectrophotometrically using the xylenol orange assay, occurred during the first 15 min of rehydration. Although the production of H 2 O 2 increased with increasing desiccation times, the moss produced significant amounts of H 2 O 2 during rehydration after desiccation for times that did not inhibit photosynthesis or cause potassium (K + ) leakage. Atrichum androgynum also produces H 2 O 2 during desiccation; artificially induced desiccation, using polyethylene glycol, strongly stimulates H 2 O 2 production. • Experiments involving inhibitors and exogenously supplied reductants indicated that peroxidases might be responsible for the production of H 2 O 2 . Factors that influence the rate of H 2 O 2 production during rehydration included light and the hormone abscisic acid. Patterns of H 2 O 2 production in A. androgynum are discussed in terms of their possible role in defence against pathogenic fungi and bacteria.