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Melatonin enhances thermotolerance of maize seedlings (Zea mays L.) by modulating antioxidant defense, methylglyoxal detoxification, and osmoregulation systems

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Abstract

Melatonin (MT), derived from tryptophan, is an amazing signaling molecule with multiple functions in plants. Heat stress (HS) induced by high temperature is a major stress factor that limits metabolism, growth, development, and productivity of plants. However, whether MT could enhance the thermotolerance of maize seedlings and the underlying mechanisms is not completely known. In this study, treatment of maize seedlings with MT enhanced the survival percentage of maize seedlings under HS conditions, mitigated an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA, product of membrane lipid peroxidation) and electrolyte leakage, and improved tissue vitality compared with the control without MT treatment, indicating that MT treatment could enhance the theromotolerance of maize seedlings. To understand the mechanisms underlying MT-enhanced thermotolerance of maize seedlings, the antioxidant defense (guaiacol peroxidease: GPX; glutathione reductase: GR; catalase: CAT; ascorbic acid: AsA; and glutathione: GSH), methylglyoxal (MG) detoxification (glyoxalase I: Gly I; and glyoxalase II: Gly II), and osmoregulation (proline: Pro; trehalose: Tre; and total soluble sugar: TSS) systems were assayed. The results showed that MT treatment stimulated the activities of antioxidant enzymes (GPX, GR, and CAT) and MG detoxification enzymes (Gly I and Gly II), increased the contents of nonenzyme antioxidants (AsA and GSH) and osmolytes (Pro, Tre, and TSS) in maize seedlings under normal culture conditions, and maintained a higher abovementioned enzyme activity and antioxidant and osmolyte contents under HS conditions compared with the control. This work reported that MT could enhance the thermotolerance of maize seedlings by modulating the antioxidant defense, MG detoxification, and osmoregulation systems.

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Abbreviations

AsA:

Ascorbic acid

CAT:

Catalase

DHA:

Oxidized ascorbic acid

FW:

Fresh weight

Gly I:

Glyoxalase I

Gly II:

Glyoxalase II

GPX:

Guaiacol peroxidase

GR:

Glutathione reductase

GSH:

Glutathione

GSSG:

Oxidized glutathione

HS:

Heat stress

HSF:

Heat shock factor

HSP:

Heat shock protein

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

MG:

Methylglyoxal

MT:

Melatonin

Pro:

Proline

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

TSS:

Total soluble sugar

Tre:

Trehalose

Trp:

Tryptophan

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Funding

This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31760069, 31360057).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, 650092, People’s Republic of China

    Zhong-Guang Li, Ying Xu, Li-Kang Bai, Shu-Yan Zhang & Yue Wang

  2. Engineering Research Center of Sustainable Development and Utilization of Biomass Energy, Ministry of Education, Kunming, 650092, People’s Republic of China

    Zhong-Guang Li, Ying Xu, Li-Kang Bai, Shu-Yan Zhang & Yue Wang

  3. Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Environmental Biotechnology, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, 650092, Yunnan Province, People’s Republic of China

    Zhong-Guang Li, Ying Xu, Li-Kang Bai, Shu-Yan Zhang & Yue Wang

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  1. Zhong-Guang Li
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  2. Ying Xu
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Contributions

ZGL designed the experiments; YX, LKB, and SYZ performed the experiments; YW carried out the data analysis; and ZGL and YW wrote and revised the manuscript. All authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Zhong-Guang Li.

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Li, ZG., Xu, Y., Bai, LK. et al. Melatonin enhances thermotolerance of maize seedlings (Zea mays L.) by modulating antioxidant defense, methylglyoxal detoxification, and osmoregulation systems. Protoplasma 256, 471–490 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-018-1311-4

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