Molecules 2018, 23(1), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23010165
Exogenous Melatonin Alleviates Cold Stress by Promoting Antioxidant Defense and Redox Homeostasis in Camellia sinensis L.
1
Key Laboratory of Tea Quality and Safety Control, Ministry of Agriculture, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 9 Meiling Road, Hangzhou 310008, China
2
Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
3
Agricultural Technology Extension Center of Fuyang District, 118 Guihua West Road, Hangzhou 330183, China
4
Hangzhou Botanical Garden, 1 Taoyuanling, Hangzhou 310013, China
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 1 December 2017 / Revised: 8 January 2018 / Accepted: 11 January 2018 / Published: 15 January 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Melatonin as an Antioxidant and a Functionally Pleiotropic Molecule: Synthesis, Metabolism and Activities in Organisms)
Abstract
The unprecedented early spring frost that appears as a cold stress adversely affects growth and productivity in tea (Camellia sinensis L.); therefore, it is indispensable to develop approaches to improve the cold tolerance of tea. Here, we investigated the effect of pretreatment with exogenous melatonin on the net photosynthetic rate, the maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII, chlorophyll content, lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, antioxidant potential, and redox homeostasis in leaves of tea plants following cold stress. Our results revealed that cold treatment induced oxidative stress by increasing ROS accumulation, which in turn affected the photosynthetic process in tea leaves. However, treatment with melatonin mitigated cold-induced reductions in photosynthetic capacity by reducing oxidative stress through enhanced antioxidant potential and redox homeostasis. This study provides strong evidence that melatonin could alleviate cold-induced adverse effects in tea plants. View Full-TextKeywords:
Camellia sinensis; tea plant; melatonin; cold stress; antioxidant enzymes; redox homeostasis
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Li, X.; Wei, J.-P.; Scott, E.R.; Liu, J.-W.; Guo, S.; Li, Y.; Zhang, L.; Han, W.-Y. Exogenous Melatonin Alleviates Cold Stress by Promoting Antioxidant Defense and Redox Homeostasis in Camellia sinensis L.. Molecules 2018, 23, 165.
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