JXB Advance Access originally published online on September 6, 2006
Journal of Experimental Botany 2006 57(14):3595-3600; doi:10.1093/jxb/erl109
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© 2006 The Author(s).
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.This paper is available online free of all access charges (see http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/open_access.html for further details)
RESEARCH PAPER |
Respiratory potential and Se compounds in pea (Pisum sativum L.) plants grown from Se-enriched seeds
1Jo
ef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2National Institute of Biology, Ve
na pot 111, Ljubljana, Slovenia
3Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, Ljubljana, Slovenia
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: vekoslava.stibilj{at}ijs.si
Selenium (Se) has been proved to be an essential element for humans and animals. However, less is known about its effects on plants. Pea plants were treated foliarly once (OT) and twice (TT) with Se solution during their flowering period. Seeds obtained from these plants contained 383 and 743 ng Se g1, respectively, and, together with control seeds from untreated plants (UT) containing 21 ng Se g1, were sown in soil in a greenhouse. Se content and its chemical form in young plants were studied, and its impact on plant respiratory potential, measured as terminal electron transport system (ETS) activity, determined. ETS activity was highest in young pea leaves with the highest Se content. Higher ETS activity possibly reflected increased glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in mitochondria. The Se content of leaves and stems of plants grown from control seeds was similar to that in the seed, being around 40 ng Se g1. Se concentration in leaves of young plants grown from OT and TT seeds was 605%, and 1340% higher, respectively, than the control, and in their stems 355%, and 680% higher, respectively. The ratio of Se concentrations in OT and TT seeds was the same as in the leaves and stems in the young plants grown from them. SeMet was the major Se compound in Se-rich pea seeds and leaves, comprising 49% and 67% of the total Se content in OT and TT seeds, respectively, and 85% and 79% in the corresponding leaves.
Key words: Electron transport system activity, pea, selenium, selenium compounds