Synthesis and degradation of phytochelatins in cadmium-sensitive and cadmium-tolerant Silene vulgaris

In response to external Cd supply Cd-tolerant Silene vulgaris plants produce three times less phytochelatins than Cd-sensitive ones. Phytochelatin synthase activity in roots of both ecotypes was measured in order to determine whether a lower enzyme activity could be responsible for the lower phytochelatin production. The phytochelatin synthase activity in tolerant plants, grown in the absence or in the presence of Cd, tended to be slightly lower than that in sensitive ones. However, the difference was too small to account for the differential phytochelatin contents observed. Observations on phytochelatin synthesis in excised roots and on the recovery of the level of glutathione, the precursor of phytochelatins, after arresting the Cd exposure, suggested that tolerant plants did not exhibit a decreased capacity to synthesize glutathione. Furthermore, the relative decrease in the phytochelatin concentration after arresting the Cd-exposure was identical for both populations, indicating that the difference in phytochelatin concentrations was not the result of a differential rate of phytochelatin degradation.