Search

Objective: Aluminum toxicity is a major limiting factor with regard to crop production and quality in most acidic soils around the world. We propose the use of C. arabica L. protoplasts to evaluate the toxic effects of aluminum, the nuclear localization of aluminum and propensity of aluminum to cause DNA damage., Results: After protoplasts were exposed to aluminum (Al) for varying periods of time (0, 5, 10, 20 and 30 min), we detected a reduction in protoplast viability. Additionally, we observed a rapid decline in the ability of protoplasts to synthesize DNA following exposure to Al for 30 min. Furthermore, DNA damage was observed after 10 min of treatment with Al., Conclusions: Protoplasts can be used to evaluate the effects of Al upon entry into the cell, which affects the structure of the nucleus. These results indicate that protoplasts provide a useful model for the study Al toxicity at the cellular level.

An early response of plants to environmental signals or abiotic stress suggests that the phospholipid signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in these mechanisms. The phospholipid signaling cascade is one of the main systems of cellular transduction and is related to other signal transduction mechanisms. These other mechanisms include the generation of second messengers and their interactions with various proteins, such as ion channels. This phospholipid signaling cascade is activated by changes in the environment, such as phosphate starvation, water, metals, saline stres, and plant-pathogen interactions. One important factor that impacts agricultural crops is metal-induced stress. Because aluminum has been considered to be a major toxic factor for agriculture conducted in acidic soils, many researchers have focused on understanding the mechanisms of aluminum toxicity in plants. We have contributed the last fifteen years in this field by studying the effects of aluminum on phospholipid signaling in coffee, one of the Mexico's primary crops. We have focused our research on aluminum toxicity mechanisms in Coffea arabica suspension cells as a model for developing future contributions to the biotechnological transformation of coffee crops such that they can be made resistant to aluminum toxicity. We conclude that aluminum is able to not only generate a signal cascade in plants but also modulate other signal cascades generated by other types of stress in plants. The aim of this review is to discuss possible involvement of the phospholipid signaling pathway in the aluminum toxicity response of plant cells., (Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)