Journal
PROTOPLASMA
Volume 248, Issue 4, Pages 663-671Publisher
SPRINGER WIEN
DOI: 10.1007/s00709-010-0222-9
Keywords
Epidermal onion cells; Aquaporins; Heavy metals; Cell pressure probe; Half-time of water exchange; beta-mercaptoethanol
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Funding
- Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, DAAD
- Polish Ministry for Science and Higher Education [304 4204 33]
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Changes in the water permeability, aquaporin (AQP) activity, of leaf cells were investigated in response to different heavy metals (Zn2+, Pb2+, Cd2+, Hg2+). The cell pressure probe experiments were performed on onion epidermal cells as a model system. Heavy metal solutions at different concentrations (0.05 mu M-2 mM) were used in our experiments. We showed that the investigated metal ions can be arranged in order of decreasing toxicity (expressed as a decrease in water permeability) as follows: Hg > Cd > Pb > Zn. Our results showed that beta-mercaptoethanol treatment (10 mM solution) partially reverses the effect of AQP gating. The magnitude of this reverse differed depending on the metal and its concentration. The time course studies of the process showed that the gating of AQPs occurred within the first 10 min after the application of a metal. We also showed that after 20-40 min from the onset of metal treatment, the water flow through AQPs stabilized and remained constant. We observed that irrespective of the metal applied, the effect of AQP gating can be recorded within the first 10 min after the administration of metal ions. More generally, our results indicate that the toxic effects of investigated metal ions on the cellular level may involve AQP gating.
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