Premium
Simulated acid rain induces lipid peroxidation and membrane damage in foliage
Author(s) -
CHIA L. S.,
MAYFIELD C. I.,
THOMPSON J. E.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/1365-3040.ep11589789
Subject(s) - lipid peroxidation , malondialdehyde , chemistry , membrane , biochemistry , toxicity , superoxide , antioxidant , organic chemistry , enzyme
. Exposure of young bean foliage to acid rain induces free‐radical‐mediated lipid peroxidation and causes the same disruptive changes in the molecular organization of membrane lipid‐bilayers that are observed during natural leaf senescence. Young plants were misted daily for 7d with simulated acid rain for a 2h period. Wide angle X‐ray diffraction revealed the presence of gel‐phase lipid in a fraction containing predominantly chloroplast membranes isolated from treated leaves, and the lipid‐phase transition temperature of these membranes rose from below −30°C to ∼ 36°C over the treatment period. The formation of gel‐phase lipid is known to be associated with lipid peroxidation, and it is therefore significant that production of ethane and levels of malondialdehyde in the leaves, which are both products of lipid peroxidation, rose throughout the treatment period. There was also increased production of ethylene and superoxide radical, which are typical responses of plant tissue to toxicity.