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Thiols of Cu‐treated maize plants inoculated with the arbuscular‐mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices
Author(s) -
Galli Ulrich,
Schüepp Hannes,
Brunold Christian
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1995.tb05308.x
Subject(s) - inoculation , shoot , glomus , fungus , colonization , biology , symbiosis , nutrient , phycomycetes , mycorrhiza , horticulture , botany , chemistry , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , ecology
Mycorrhizal colonization of roots, fresh weight, content of cysteine, γ‐glutamylcysteine (γEC). glutathione (GSH), thiol groups in Cu‐binding peptides (CuBP), and the uptake of Cu were measured in roots and shoots of maize ( Zea mays L., cv. Honeycomb F‐1) grown in quartz sand, with Cu at 0, 4.5, 9, 15 and 30 μg g −1 added with or without inoculum of the arbuscular‐mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) Glomus intraradices . In control plants (no Cu added) AMF significantly reduced shoot growth, but did not affect root growth. At an external Cu supply of 9 μg (g quartz sand) −1 or higher, both mycorrhizal colonization and growth of roots and shoots of mycorrhizal and non‐mycorrhizal plants were significantly reduced. With up to 9 μg Cu g −1 , mycorrhizal colonization increased the content of cysteine, γEC and GSH in the roots. However, the amount of thiols in CuBPs was not increased by mycorrhizal colonization in Cu‐treated plants and no differences in Cu uptake were detected between non‐mycorrhizal and mycorrhizal plants. A CuBP‐complex with a relative molecular mass of 7300 and a SH:Cu ratio of 1.77:1 was separated on a Sephadex G‐50 column from both non‐inoculated and inoculated roots of Cu‐treated plants. HPLC chromatography of the CuBPs of both non‐inoculated and inoculated roots resulted in a similar peak pattern, indicating that no additional CuBPs were formed by the fungus. In conclusion, our results do not support the idea that AMF protects maize from Cu‐toxicity.