Acta Physiologiae Plantarum 

About: Acta Physiologiae Plantarum is an academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Shoot & Biology. It has an ISSN identifier of 0137-5881. Over the lifetime, 4450 publications have been published receiving 93734 citations. The journal is also known as: APP (Berlin).

Chlorophyll a fluorescence as a tool to monitor physiological status of plants under abiotic stress conditions

Abstract: Plants living under natural conditions are exposed to many adverse factors that interfere with the photosynthetic process, leading to declines in growth, development, and yield. The recent development of Chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChlF) represents a potentially valuable new approach to study the photochemical efficiency of leaves. Specifically, the analysis of fluorescence signals provides detailed information on the status and function of Photosystem II (PSII) reaction centers, light-harvesting antenna complexes, and both the donor and acceptor sides of PSII. Here, we review the results of fast ChlF analyses of photosynthetic responses to environmental stresses, and discuss the potential scientific and practical applications of this innovative methodology. The recent availability of portable devices has significantly expanded the potential utilization of ChlF techniques, especially for the purposes of crop phenotyping and monitoring.

The cell wall in plant cell response to trace metals: polysaccharide remodeling and its role in defense strategy

Abstract: This review paper is focused predominantly on the role of the cell wall in the defense response of plants to trace metals. It is generally known that this compartment accumulates toxic divalent and trivalent metal cations both during their uptake by the cell from the environment and at the final stage of their sequestration from the protoplast. However, from results obtained in recent years, our understanding of the role played by the cell wall in plant defense response to toxic metals has markedly altered. It has been shown that this compartment may function not only as a sink for toxic trace metal accumulation, but that it is also actively modified under trace metal stress. These modifications lead to an increase in the capacity of the cell wall to accumulate trace metals and a decrease of its permeability for trace metal migration into the protoplast. One of the most striking alterations is the enhancement of the level of low-methylesterified pectins: the polysaccharides able to bind divalent and trivalent metal ions. This review paper will present the most recent results, especially those that are concerned with polysaccharide level, composition and distribution under trace metal stress, and describe in detail the polysaccharides responsible for metal binding and immobilization in different groups of plants (algae and higher plants). The review also contains information related to the entry pathways of trace metals into the cell wall and their detection methods.

Heavy metal-induced oxidative damage, defense reactions, and detoxification mechanisms in plants

Abstract: Heavy metal (HMs) contamination is widespread globally due to anthropogenic, technogenic, and geogenic activities. The HMs exposure could lead to multiple toxic effects in plants by inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS), which inhibit most cellular processes at various levels of metabolism. ROS being highly unstable could play dual role (1) damaging cellular components and (2) act as an important secondary messenger for inducing plant defense system. Cells are equipped with enzymatic and non-enzymatic defense mechanisms to counteract this damage. Some are constitutive and others that are activated only when a stress-specific signal is perceived. Enzymatic scavengers of ROS include superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase, and peroxidase, while non-enzymatic antioxidants are glutathione, ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, flavonoids, anthocyanins, carotenoids, and organic acids. The intracellular and extracellular chelation mechanisms of HMs are associated with organic acids such as citric, malic and oxalic acid, etc. The important mechanism of detoxification includes metal complexation with glutathione, amino acids, synthesis of phytochelatins and sequestration into the vacuoles. Excessive stresses induce a cascade, MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) pathway and synthesis of metal-detoxifying ligands. Metal detoxification through MAPK cascade and synthesis of metal-detoxifying ligands will be of considerable interest in the field of plant biotechnology. Further, the photoprotective roles of pigments of xanthophylls cycle under HMs stress were also discussed.

Antioxidant defense responses: physiological plasticity in higher plants under abiotic constraints

Abstract: Environmental stresses (salinity, drought, heat/cold, light and other hostile conditions) may trigger in plants oxidative stress, generating the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These species are partially reduced or activated derivatives of oxygen, comprising both free radical $$ ( {\text{O}}_{2}^{\cdot - } ,{\text{OH}} \cdot , {\text{OH}}_{ 2} \cdot ) $$ and non-radical (H2O2) forms, leading to cellular damage, metabolic disorders and senescence processes. In order to overcome oxidative stress, plants have developed two main antioxidants defense mechanisms that can be classified as non-enzymatic and enzymatic systems. The first class (non-enzymatic) consists of small molecules such as vitamin (A, C and E), glutathione, carotenoids and phenolics that can react directly with the ROS by scavenging them. Second class is represented by enzymes among them superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase which have the capacity to eliminate superoxide and hydrogen peroxide. In this review, we have tried to explore the related works, which have revealed the changes in the basic antioxidant metabolism of plants under various abiotic constraints.

Signaling responses in plants to heavy metal stress

Abstract: Heavy metal toxicity is one of the major abiotic stresses leading to hazardous health effects in animals and plants. Because of their high reactivity they can directly influence growth, senescence and energy synthesis processes. In this review a new indirect mechanism of heavy metal action is proposed. This mechanism is connected with the generation of reactive oxygen species (especially H2O2) and jasmonate and ethylene signaling pathways and shows that toxicity symptoms observed in plants may result from direct heavy metal influence as well as the activity of some signaling molecules induced by the stress action.