Hydrogen Sulfide Promotes Wheat Grain Germination Under Cadmium Stress
2016
Huang, Zhong-Qin | Ye, Shao-Can | Hu, Lan-Ying | Hu, Kang-Di | Yan, Hong | Li, Wan-Jie | Jiao, Hao | Zhang, Hua
Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) has proved to be a multifunctional signaling molecule involved in plant development and response to abiotic stresses. In the present study, the effects of H₂S donor, sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) on the germination of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grains under cadmium stress was investigated. With the increase in Cd concentration, the germination percentage of wheat grains decreased steadily. NaHS pretreatment alleviated cadmium-induced germination inhibition in a dose-dependent manner, with the optimal concentration of 0.9 mM. Further studies showed that NaHS pretreatment could promote the activities of amylase and esterase, reducing cadmium-induced disturbance of plasma membrane integrity in the radicle tips, and sustain lower levels of superoxide radicals, hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde in germinating wheat grains. Besides, NaHS significantly promoted the accumulation of free amino acids in grains exposed to cadmium. Further investigation showed that NaHS pretreatment stimulated the activities of peroxidase, catalase and acorbate peroxidase and inhibited that of lipoxygenase. In addition, a higher level of endogenous H₂S in wheat grains was observed in NaHS-pretreated wheat grains. These data indicate that H₂S ameliorated cadmium-stress in germinating wheat grains by modulating the antioxidant system.
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