Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a very important reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging enzyme. In this study, the functions of a Cu/Zn SOD gene (SaCu/Zn SOD), from Sedum alfredii, a cadmium (Cd)/zinc/lead co-hyperaccumulator of the Crassulaceae, was characterized. The expression of SaCu/Zn SOD was induced by Cd stress. Compared with wild-type (WT) plants, overexpression of SaCu/Zn SOD gene in ...

Study was conducted to elucidate the nitrite-dependent nitric oxide (NO) production by wheat roots grown in hydroponics under cadmium (Cd) stress. In a long-term Cd exposure experiment, plants were grown for 4 weeks under 1 μM Cd. The root Cd concentration in the Cd-stressed plants was 2.5 mM compared to 0.1 mM in the untreated plants. Most of the Cd taken up by plants was restricted to roots w...

PURPOSE The present study was designed to examine the antinociceptive effects of orally administered ONO-9902, an enkephalinase inhibitor, on both somatic and visceral pain after visceral stress conditions. METHODS Twenty six male rats were examined. Tail-flick (TF) and colorectal distension (CD) tests were used to determine somatic and visceral antinociceptive effects, respectively. Measurem...

In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the putative selenium-binding protein (SBP) gene family is composed of three members (SBP1-SBP3). Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses showed that SBP1 expression was ubiquitous. SBP2 was expressed at a lower level in flowers and roots, whereas SBP3 transcripts were only detected in young seedling tissues. In cadmium (Cd)-treated seedli...

In a previous study, we reported that the common reed accumulates water-soluble Cd complexed with an α-glucan-like molecule, and that the synthesis of this molecule is induced in the stem of the common reed under Cd stress. We studied the metabolic background to ensure α-glucan accumulation under the Cd stress conditions that generally inhibit photosynthesis. We found that the common reed maint...

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of cadmium-zinc (Cd-Zn) interactions on their uptake, oxidative damage of cell macromolecules (lipids, proteins, DNA) and activities of antioxidative enzymes in tobacco seedlings as well as roots and leaves of adult plants. Seedlings and plants were exposed to Cd (10 µM and 15 µM) and Zn (25 µM and 50 µM) as well as their combina...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate specific target mRNAs at the post-transcriptional level. Plant miRNAs have been implicated in developmental processes and adaptations to environmental stresses. Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential heavy metal that is highly toxic to plants. To investigate the responsive functions of miRNAs under Cd stress, miRNA expres...

A pot experiment was carried out in order to investigate the effect of deleterious concentration of copper and cadmium either individual or in combination on three cereal crops i.e. wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) after 2 and 4 weeks. The results showed that cadmium applied alone caused significant reduction in growth traits and photosynthesis ...

We established a relationship between the toxic effects of cadmium on the expression of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone GRP94 (glucose regulated protein 94) and cell survival in cultured rat-thyrocytes of FRTL5 cells. There are no data reporting that the enhanced expression of GRP94 by Cd stimulation is detectable in thyrocytes. Western blot analysis revealed higher levels of GRP94 exp...

Cadmium (Cd) toxicity was investigated in cotton cultivar (ZMS-49) using physiological, ultrastructural, and biochemical parameters. Biomass-based tolerance index decreased, and water contents increased at 500 μM Cd. Photosynthetic efficiency determined by chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic pigments declined under Cd stress. Cd contents were more in roots than shoots. A significant dec...