Soil-applied Nickel Generates Differential Responses in Growth, Physiology and Oxidative Metabolism of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) Varieties.

This work aims to evaluate the potential of nickel (Ni), an essential micronutrient, as an oxidative stress inducer along with associated morphological and biochemical responses in different varieties of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), a chief economically cultivated crop of India. Varietal differences in crop performance upon exposure to 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 mg Ni kg- 1 soil reflects that Ni applied at 20 mg Ni kg- 1 soil offers growth-promoting effects, improved photosynthesis attributes, carbonic and nitrate reductase activities more profound in PEB followed by AFg2, AFg1 and UM185 variety. This study observed a dose-dependent reduction in all the above parameters. Maximum toxic effects were noticed at 80 mg kg- 1 Ni, manifested in the form of enhanced H2O2 and MDA contents, which were efficiently counteracted by augmentation in proline content, SOD, POX, CAT and APX activities in PEB over other varieties, suggesting that the Ni tolerance in fenugreek varieties can be organized as PEB > AFg2 > AFg1 > UM185.

Novel heavy metal resistance gene clusters are present in the genome of Cupriavidus neocaledonicus STM 6070, a new species of Mimosa pudica microsymbiont isolated from heavy-metal-rich mining site soil.

BACKGROUND: Cupriavidus strain STM 6070 was isolated from nickel-rich soil collected near Koniambo massif, New Caledonia, using the invasive legume trap host Mimosa pudica. STM 6070 is a heavy metal-tolerant strain that is highly effective at fixing nitrogen with M. pudica. Here we have provided an updated taxonomy for STM 6070 and described salient features of the annotated genome, focusing on heavy metal resistance (HMR) loci and heavy metal efflux (HME) systems. RESULTS: The 6,771,773 bp high-quality-draft genome consists of 107 scaffolds containing 6118 protein-coding genes. ANI values show that STM 6070 is a new species of Cupriavidus. The STM 6070 symbiotic region was syntenic with that of the M. pudica-nodulating Cupriavidus taiwanensis LMG 19424T. In contrast to the nickel and zinc sensitivity of C. taiwanensis strains, STM 6070 grew at high Ni2+ and Zn2+ concentrations. The STM 6070 genome contains 55 genes, located in 12 clusters, that encode HMR structural proteins belonging to the RND, MFS, CHR, ARC3, CDF and P-ATPase protein superfamilies. These HMR molecular determinants are putatively involved in arsenic (ars), chromium (chr), cobalt-zinc-cadmium (czc), copper (cop, cup), nickel (nie and nre), and silver and/or copper (sil) resistance. Seven of these HMR clusters were common to symbiotic and non-symbiotic Cupriavidus species, while four clusters were specific to STM 6070, with three of these being associated with insertion sequences. Within the specific STM 6070 HMR clusters, three novel HME-RND systems (nieIC cep nieBA, czcC2B2A2, and hmxB zneAC zneR hmxS) were identified, which constitute new candidate genes for nickel and zinc resistance. CONCLUSIONS: STM 6070 belongs to a new Cupriavidus species, for which we have proposed the name Cupriavidus neocaledonicus sp. nov.. STM6070 harbours a pSym with a high degree of gene conservation to the pSyms of M. pudica-nodulating C. taiwanensis strains, probably as a result of recent horizontal transfer. The presence of specific HMR clusters, associated with transposase genes, suggests that the selection pressure of the New Caledonian ultramafic soils has driven the specific adaptation of STM 6070 to heavy-metal-rich soils via horizontal gene transfer.

Impact of chitosan on nickel bioavailability in soil, the accumulation and tolerance of nickel in Calendula tripterocarpa.

Excessive heavy metals in medicinal plants cause critical health issues to humans. Therefore, in the present study, the effect of soil amendment with chitosan (0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, and 1%) on bioavailability and tolerance of nickel in Calendula tripterocarpa grown in a soil spiked with Ni (100 and 150 mg/kg soil) was investigated. The results showed that Ni toxicity significantly reduced plant growth and content of chlorophyll a, b but increased carotenoid levels, lipid peroxidation, and catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in roots and shoots. The Ni bioaccumulation was significantly higher in shoots than roots. The soil amendment with chitosan reduced Ni bioavailability in soil, as well as lowered the biological accumulation of Ni in roots and shoots, and Ni transfer to leaves. The chitosan application also increased growth parameters and levels of chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids under both normal and Ni stress conditions. Furthermore, chitosan reduced the level of malondialdehyde and the activities of SOD and CAT in roots and shoots under Ni stress. In conclusion, results indicated that chitosan through lowering bioavailability of Ni in soils can remarkably relieve adverse effects of Ni toxicity in C. tripterocarpa.

Tissue-specific transcriptional regulation of seven heavy metal stress-responsive miRNAs and their putative targets in nickel indicator castor bean (R. communis L.) plants.

R.communis L. has high capability to accumulate nickel which is a trace nutrient for higher plants and also an environmental contaminant causes toxicity related symptoms at higher concentrations. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to be important modulators of responses against heavy metal stress for detoxification of the metal. In this study, we experimentally measured and validated the transcript levels of the seven heavy metal stress response-related miRNAs and the expression levels of target genes in both leaf and root tissues of R. communis L. subjected to three different concentrations of nickel stress via qRT-PCR quantification. The results demonstrated differential regulations of heavy metal stress-responsive miRNAs and their putative targets in both tissues in same stress treatments. This dynamic regulation suggest that regulatory processes differ between the tissues under nickel stress. Our data suggest that, miR838 was the most responsive to the Ni2+ stress. miR398 target gene Cu-Zn/SOD was found to be up-regulated in both root and leaf tissues. The relations between TCP and expression levels of miR159 and miR319 were also found statistically significant exclusive to leaf tissues. In leaf tissue, changes in miR395 level and its putative target genes, sulphate transporter and sulphate adenyltransferase gene were found in relation whereas, only expression level of sulphate transporter represented a statistically significant relation in root tissue. The sharp decrease in transcript levels of 2r3 myb gene at lower nickel dose suggest to investigate the role of r2r3 myb and the all MYB family members in primary and secondary metabolisms against nickel stress.

Ectomycorrhizal fungal diversity associated with endemic Tristaniopsis spp. (Myrtaceae) in ultramafic and volcano-sedimentary soils in New Caledonia.

New Caledonian serpentine (ultramafic) soils contain high levels of toxic heavy metals, in particular nickel, (up to 20 g kg-1) and are deficient in essential elements like carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus while having a high magnesium/calcium ratio. Although previous studies showed that ectomycorrhizal symbioses could play an important role in the adaptation of the endemic plants to ultramafic soils (FEMS Microbiol Ecol 72:238-49, 2010), none of them have compared the diversity of microbial communities from ultramafic vs non-ultramafic soils in New Caledonia. We explored the impact of edaphic characteristics on the diversity of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi associated with different endemic species of Tristaniopsis (Myrtaceae) growing under contrasting soil conditions in the natural ecosystems of New Caledonia. ECM root tips were thus sampled from two different ultramafic sites (Koniambo massif and Desmazures forest) vs two volcano-sedimentary ones (Arama and Mont Ninndo). The molecular characterization of the ECM fungi through partial sequencing of the ITS rRNA gene revealed the presence of different dominant fungal genera including, both soil types combined, Cortinarius (36.1%), Pisolithus (18.5%), Russula (13.4%), Heliotales (8.2%) and Boletellus (7.2%). A high diversity of ECM taxa associated with Tristaniopsis species was found in both ultramafic and volcano-sedimentary soils but no significant differences in ECM genera distribution were observed between both soil types. No link could be established between the phylogenetic clustering of ECM taxa and their soil type origin, thus suggesting a possible functional-rather than taxonomical-adaptation of ECM fungal communities to ultramafic soils.

Early lateral root formation in response to calcium and nickel shows variation within disjunct populations of Arabidopsis lyrata spp. lyrata.

Root architecture is important in nutrient uptake and avoidance of toxic compounds within the soil. Arabidopsis lyrata spp. lyrata has widespread distribution in disjunct environments that encounter unique stressors starting at germination. Five populations of A. lyrata spp. lyrata show local adaptation to Nickel (Ni) but cross-tolerance to variations in Calcium (Ca) concentration within the soil. Differentiation among the populations begins early in development and appears to impact timing of lateral root formation; therefore the purpose of the study was to understand changes in root architecture and root exploration in response to Ca and Ni within the first three weeks of growth. Lateral root formation was first characterized under one concentration of Ca and Ni. Lateral root formation and tap root length were reduced in all five populations in response to Ni compared to Ca, with the least reduction in the three serpentine populations. When the populations were exposed to a gradient (either Ca or Ni) there were differences in population response based on the nature of the gradient. Start side was the greatest determinant of root exploration and lateral root formation under a Ca gradient, while population was the greatest determinant of root exploration and lateral root formation under a Ni gradient. All populations exhibited about the same frequency of root exploration under a Ca gradient, while the serpentine populations exhibited much higher levels of root exploration under a Ni gradient compared to the two non-serpentine populations. Differences among populations in response to Ca and Ni demonstrate the importance of stress responses early in development, particularly in species that have widespread distribution among disparate habitats.

Assessing nickel tolerance of bacteria isolated from serpentine soils.

Serpentine soils present unique characteristics such as a low Ca/Mg ratio, low concentration of nutrients, and a high concentration of heavy metals, especially nickel. Soil bacterial isolates from an ultramafic complex located in the tropical savanna known as the Brazilian Cerrado were studied. Nickel-tolerant bacteria were obtained, and their ability to remove nickel from a culture medium was assessed. Bacterial isolates presented higher tolerance to nickel salts than previously reported for bacteria obtained from serpentine environments in other regions of the world. In addition, the quantification of nickel in cell pellets indicated that at least four isolates may adsorb soluble forms of nickel. It is expected that information gathered in this study will support future efforts to exploit serpentine soil bacteria for biotechnological processes involving nickel decontamination from environmental samples.