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Background Plants evolved various mechanisms to cope with metal stress. Cadmium (Cd) exposure specifically induces the synthesis of thiol-rich substances such as phytochelatins. Due chemical similarity Cd and zinc (Zn), similar detoxification for both metals are under discussion. Aim We conducted a nutrient solution experiment investigate thiol accumulation parsley (Petroselinum crispum) spinac...

We reported an alternative strategy to reduce disulphide bonds in peptides with Ag-nanoparticle loaded nano-TiO(2) (Ag/TiO(2)) under UV irradiation. The feasibility of this strategy was adequately demonstrated using the model peptides oxidized glutathione, vasopressin and insulin, which contain various disulphide bonds, as well as by its application to the determination of Cd-induced phytochela...

Metal ions are essential for growth, but in excess, these compounds can become highly toxic. Both plants and animals have adapted numerous ways to maintain metal homeostasis while mitigating detrimental effects of excess metals ions, including the metalchelating proteins metallothionein (MT) and phytochelatin. Although phytochelatins have been shown to play an important role in the detoxificati...

Phytochelatins are small cysteine-rich non-ribosomal peptides that chelate soft metal and metalloid ions, such as cadmium and arsenic. They are widely produced by plants and microbes; phytochelatin synthase genes are also present in animal species from several different phyla, but there is still little known about whether these genes are functional in animals, and if so, whether they are metal-...

As is a ubiquitous element present in the atmosphere as well as in the aquatic and terrestrial environments. Arsenite and arsenate are the major forms of As intoxication, and these anions are readily taken up by plants. Both anions efficiently induce the biosynthesis of phytochelatins (PCs) ([gamma-glutamate-cysteine](n)-glycine) in vivo and in vitro. The rapid induction of the metal-binding PC...

Melatonin is a ubiquitous signal molecule, playing crucial roles in plant growth and stress tolerance. Recently, toxic metal cadmium (Cd) has been reported to regulate melatonin content in rice; however, the function of melatonin under Cd stress, particularly in higher plants, still remains elusive. Here, we show that optimal dose of melatonin could effectively ameliorate Cd-induced phytotoxici...