During the course of their ontogenesis plants are continuously exposed to a large variety of abiotic stress factors which can damage tissues and jeopardize the survival of the organism unless properly countered. While animals can simply escape and thus evade stressors, plants as sessile organisms have developed complex strategies to withstand them. When the intensity of a detrimental factor is high, one of the defense programs employed by plants is the induction of programmed cell death (PCD). This is an active, genetically controlled process which is initiated to isolate and remove damaged tissues thereby ensuring the survival of the organism. The mechanism of PCD induction usually includes an increase in the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which are utilized as mediators of the stress signal. Abiotic stress-induced PCD is not only a process of fundamental biological importance, but also of considerable interest to agricultural practice as it has the potential to significantly influence crop yield. Therefore, numerous scientific enterprises have focused on elucidating the mechanisms leading to and controlling PCD in response to adverse conditions in plants. This knowledge may help develop novel strategies to obtain more resilient crop varieties with improved tolerance and enhanced productivity. The aim of the present review is to summarize the recent advances in research on ROS-induced PCD related to abiotic stress and the role of the organelles in the process.

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ROS-mediated abiotic stress-induced programmed cell death in plants.

Cadmium toxicity in plants: Impacts and remediation strategies.

Graphene and its derivatives are heralded as ‘miracle’ materials with manifold applications in different sectors of society from electronics to energy storage to medicine. The increasing exploitation of graphene-based materials (GBMs) necessitates a comprehensive evaluation of the potential impact of these materials on human health and the environment. Here we discuss synthesis and characterization of GBMs as well as human and environmental hazard assessment of GBMs using in vitro and in vivo model systems with the aim to understand the properties that underlie the biological effects of these materials; not all GBMs are alike, and it is essential that we disentangle the structure-activity relationships for this class of materials.

/pdf/safety-assessment-of-graphene-based-materials-focus-on-human-5cvsuf4q4q.pdf

Safety assessment of graphene-based materials: focus on human health and the environment

https://www.cell.com/trends/plant-science/pdf/S1360-1385(14)00198-8.pdf

Iron nutrition, biomass production, and plant product quality

This review summarizes the findings of the most recent studies, published from 2000 to 2016, which focus on the biogeochemical behavior of Cd in soil-plant systems and its impact on the ecosystem. For animals and people not subjected to a Cd-contaminated environment, consumption of Cd contaminated food (vegetables, cereals, pulses and legumes) is the main source of Cd exposure. As Cd does not have any known biological function, and can further cause serious deleterious effects both in plants and mammalian consumers, cycling of Cd within the soil-plant system is of high global relevance.

Cadmium Bioavailability, Uptake, Toxicity and Detoxification in Soil-Plant System

Toxic effects of graphene on the growth and nutritional levels of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): short- and long-term exposure studies

Reduced graphene oxide induces cytotoxicity and inhibits photosynthetic performance of the green alga Scenedesmus obliquus.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination of agricultural soils represents a serious risk to crop safety. A new strategy using abscisic acid (ABA)-generating bacteria, Bacillus subtilis or Azospirillum brasilense, was developed to reduce the Cd accumulation in plants grown in Cd-contaminated soil. Inoculation with either bacterium resulted in a pronounced increase in the ABA level in wild-type Arabidopsis Col-0 plants, accompanied by a decrease in Cd levels in plant tissues, which mitigated the Cd toxicity. As a consequence, the growth of plants exposed to Cd was improved. Nevertheless, B. subtilis and A. brasilense inoculation had little effect on Cd levels and toxicity in the ABA-insensitive mutant snrk 2.2/2.3, indicating that the action of ABA is required for these bacteria to reduce Cd accumulation in plants. Furthermore, inoculation with either B. subtilis or A. brasilense downregulated the expression of IRT1 (iron-regulated transporter 1) in the roots of wild-type plants and had little effect on Cd levels in the ...

Inoculation with Bacillus subtilis and Azospirillum brasilense produces abscisic acid that reduces irt1-mediated cadmium uptake of roots.

Atmospheric application of trace amounts of nitric oxide enhances tolerance to salt stress and improves nutritional quality in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)

Effect of imidazolium-based ionic liquids with varying carbon chain lengths on Arabidopsis thaliana: Response of growth and photosynthetic fluorescence parameters

Shaoting Du

Papers

Toxic effects of graphene on the growth and nutritional levels of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): short- and long-term exposure studies

Reduced graphene oxide induces cytotoxicity and inhibits photosynthetic performance of the green alga Scenedesmus obliquus.

Inoculation with Bacillus subtilis and Azospirillum brasilense produces abscisic acid that reduces irt1-mediated cadmium uptake of roots.

Atmospheric application of trace amounts of nitric oxide enhances tolerance to salt stress and improves nutritional quality in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)

Effect of imidazolium-based ionic liquids with varying carbon chain lengths on Arabidopsis thaliana: Response of growth and photosynthetic fluorescence parameters