Colocalization of low-methylesterified pectins and Pb deposits in the apoplast of aspen roots exposed to lead

Rabęda, Irena; Bilski, Henryk; Mellerowicz, Ewa J.; Napieralska, Anna; Suski, Szymon; Woźny, Adam; Krzesłowska, Magdalena

Colocalization of low-methylesterified pectins and Pb deposits in the apoplast of aspen roots exposed to lead

2015

Low-methylesterified homogalacturonans have been suggested to play a role in the binding and immobilization of Pb in CW. Using root apices of hybrid aspen, a plant with a high phytoremediation potential, as a model, we demonstrated that the in situ distribution pattern of low-methylesterified homogalacturonan, pectin epitope (JIM5-P), reflects the pattern of Pb occurrence. The region which indicated high JIM5-P level corresponded with “Pb accumulation zone”. Moreover, JIM5-P was especially abundant in cell junctions, CWs lining the intercellular spaces and the corners of intercellular spaces indicating the highest accumulation of Pb. Furthermore, JIM5-P and Pb commonly co-localized.The observations indicate that low-methylesterified homogalacturonan is the CW polymer that determines the capacity of CW for Pb sequestration. Our results suggest a promising directions for CW modification for enhancing the efficiency of plant roots in Pb accumulation, an important aspect in the phytoremediation of soils contaminated with trace metals.

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