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Selenium activates components of iron acquisition machinery in oilseed rape roots

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Abstract

Aims

Beneficial elements may stimulate plant growth by favoring the availability of essential nutrients for metabolic processes. This study addresses the still unexplored question whether the beneficial action of selenium (Se) on plants can be due to its interaction with iron (Fe).

Methods

Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) plants were grown hydroponically without (–Se) or with 10 μM Na2SeO4 (+Se) and exposed to either Fe adequate (+Fe) or starvation (–Fe) treatments.

Results

Selenium enhanced leaf chlorophyll concentration, photochemical parameters and CO2 fixation. Although Se did not significantly increase total leaf Fe concentration, the concentration of cytoplasmic FeII pool was enhanced under –Fe + Se conditions. However, the most conspicuous Se effects occurred in Fe-deficient roots. Selenium upregulated both the root expression levels of genes encoding FERRIC-REDUCTION OXIDASE (FRO1) and the activity of FRO and exacerbated the stimulatory effect of –Fe on the exudation rate of organic acids and phenolic compounds. Both –Se and + Se plants used FeIIIEDTA in similar way, while only +Se plants were able to take advantage of the sparingly soluble Fe(OH)3. In order to explore the mechanism of Se action, we recorded higher endogenous level of NO and upregulation of ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 2 (ERF2) by Se irrespective of Fe conditions.

Conclusions

Our results show that Se augments root machinery for Fe acquisition mainly through activation of Fe signaling components.

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Abbreviations

ERF 1 :

ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 1

FRO :

FERRIC-REDUCTION OXIDASE

IRT :

IRON-REGULATED TRANSPORTER

NO:

Nitric oxide

PAL:

Phenylalanine ammonia lyase

PEPCase:

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase

SPAD:

Spectral Plant Analysis Diagnostic

STS:

Silver thiosulfate

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the University of Tabriz, Iran, the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development (Contract No. 451-03-68/2020-14/200053) and the Spanish MICINN project BFU2017-85117-R. We thank Dr. Nina Nikolic (University of Belgrade, Serbia), Dr. Ernest A. Kirkby (University of Leeds, UK) and Dr. Günter Neumann (University of Hohenheim, Germany) for critical reading of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Science, University of Tabriz, 29 Bahman Ave, Tabriz, 51666-16471, Iran

    Roghieh Hajiboland & Noushin Sadeghzadeh

  2. Department of Plant Nutrition, Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

    Predrag Bosnic & Miroslav Nikolic

  3. Laboratory for Plant Molecular Biology, Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

    Dragana Bosnic

  4. Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Biosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Roser Tolrà & Charlotte Poschenrieder

Authors
  1. Roghieh Hajiboland
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  2. Noushin Sadeghzadeh
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  3. Dragana Bosnic
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  4. Predrag Bosnic
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  5. Roser Tolrà
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  6. Charlotte Poschenrieder
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  7. Miroslav Nikolic
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Contributions

RH conceived and designed the experiments, analyzed and interpreted the data and wrote the manuscript in consultation with MN and CP; NS cultivated plants and performed physiological plant analyses; RT analyzed organic acids; DB performed molecular analyses and PB preformed ICP-OES analyses under supervision of MN; CP and MN revised critically the manuscript. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Roghieh Hajiboland.

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Hajiboland, R., Sadeghzadeh, N., Bosnic, D. et al. Selenium activates components of iron acquisition machinery in oilseed rape roots. Plant Soil 452, 569–586 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04599-w

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