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Physiological Response and Molecular Mechanisms of Plants to Heavy Metal/Loid...
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Physiological Response and Molecular Mechanisms of Plants to Heavy Metal/Loid Toxicity

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 8019

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Muhammad Zeeshan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Key Laboratory of Natural Pesticide and Chemical Biology of the Ministry of Education, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
2. Yingdong College of Biology and Agriculture, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan 512005, China
Interests: molecular stress physiology; cellular toxicants; ecotoxicology; phytoremediation; plant response to abiotic stress and signaling transduction
Dr. Abdul Salam

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Natural Pesticide and Chemical Biology of the Ministry of Education, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Interests: crop stress physiology; cellular redox homeostasis; plant ultrastructures; molecular plant improvement; nanotechnology; seed priming
Dr. Aamir Hamid Khan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of biology, Department of Biogeography, Paleoecology and Environmental protection, University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
Interests: study of abiotic stress effects on plants through biochemical; omics; genome editing using CRISPR technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heavy metal/loid (HM) toxicity poses a significant threat to the growth and development of plants, affecting their ability to photosynthesize, take up nutrients, and maintain cellular homeostasis. Therefore, understanding the physiological and molecular responses to HM toxicity is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate HM pollution and promote sustainable agriculture.

Currently, research in this field focuses on elucidating the complex mechanisms that plants employ to adapt to HM stress. This involves the investigation of physiological changes, such as alterations in the plant's metabolism, antioxidant systems, and gene expression patterns. However, despite the progress that has been made, there is still much to learn about the intricate interactions between plants and HM toxicity. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to publish original articles and reviews that consolidate recent advancements in the field of HM tolerance, as well as to identify potential new mitigation strategies at agronomical, physiological, eco-physiological, and molecular levels, which are involved in a plant’s response to HM toxicity.

The main themes are described below.

  1. Examining the intricate molecular mechanisms employed by plants to perceive and adapt to HM toxicity, with a particular emphasis on the crucial roles played by signaling molecules such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and phytohormones.
  2. Identifying novel genes and proteins involved in HM detoxification and tolerance mechanisms in plants, providing insights into a plant's adaptive strategies.
  3. Exploring the role of plant microbiota in HM detoxification and its potential in enhancing plant tolerance to HM stress.
  4. Developing genetic engineering and biotechnological approaches to improve the HM tolerance of crop plants, thereby ensuring sustainable crop production in HM-contaminated areas.
  5. Evaluating the ecological consequences of HM stress on plant–insect and plant–microbe interactions, assessing its impact on ecosystem health and stability.

Dr. Muhammad Zeeshan
Dr. Abdul Salam
Dr. Aamir Hamid Khan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • phytoremediation
  • redox homeostasis
  • plant–environment interaction
  • metal tolerance index
  • metal ion uptake
  • phytochelatins

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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32 pages, 4266 KiB  
Article
Revitalizing Soybean Plants in Saline, Cd-Polluted Soil Using Si-NPs, Biochar, and PGPR
by Khadiga Alharbi, Emad M. Hafez, Nevien Elhawat, Alaa El-Dein Omara, Emadelden Rashwan, Hossam H. Mohamed, Tarek Alshaal and Samir I. Gadow
Plants 2024, 13(24), 3550; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13243550 - 19 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1111
Abstract
Excessive irrigation of saline-alkaline soils with Cd-contaminated wastewater has resulted in deterioration of both soil and plant quality. To an investigate this, a study was conducted to explore the effects of biochar (applied at 10 t ha−1), PGPRs (Bradyrhizobium japonicum [...] Read more.
Excessive irrigation of saline-alkaline soils with Cd-contaminated wastewater has resulted in deterioration of both soil and plant quality. To an investigate this, a study was conducted to explore the effects of biochar (applied at 10 t ha−1), PGPRs (Bradyrhizobium japonicum (USDA 110) + Trichoderma harzianum at 1:1 ratio), and Si-NPs (25 mg L−1) on soybean plants grown in saline-alkali soil irrigated with wastewater. The results showed that the trio-combination of biochar with PGPRs, (as soil amendments) and Si-NPs (as foliar spraying), was more effective than individual or coupled applications in reducing Cd bioavailability in the soil, minimizing its absorption, translocation and bioconcentration in soybean tissues. The trio-combination reduced Cd bioavailability in the soil by 39.1% and Cd accumulation in plant roots, shoots, and seeds by 61.0%, 69.3%, and 61.1%, respectively. Physiological improvements in soybean plants were also observed, including 197.8% increase in root growth, 209.3% increase in chlorophyll content, and 297.4% increase in carotenoid levels. The trio-combination significantly improved soil physicochemical characteristics, enhanced soil microbial indicators and boosted soil enzymes activity, which in turn facilitated nutrient uptake and increased antioxidant enzymes activity. These positive outcomes enhanced photosynthesis, improved productivity and increased seed nutritional value. Overall, the trio-combination of biochar with PGPRs and Si-NPs are considered a reliable approach not only for revitalizing soybean growth but also for immobilizing Cd and improving soil health under wastewater irrigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological Response and Molecular Mechanisms of Plants to Heavy Metal/Loid Toxicity)
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18 pages, 4750 KiB  
Article
Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle-Mediated Root Metabolic Reprogramming for Arsenic Tolerance in Soybean
by Muhammad Zeeshan, Anas Iqbal, Abdul Salam, Yuxin Hu, Aamir Hamid Khan, Xin Wang, Xiaoran Miao, Xiaoyuan Chen, Zhixiang Zhang and Peiwen Zhang
Plants 2024, 13(22), 3142; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13223142 - 8 Nov 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1383
Abstract
Arsenate (AsV) is absorbed and accumulated by plants, which can affect their physiological activities, disrupt gene expression, alter metabolite content, and influence growth. Despite the potential of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) to mitigate the adverse effects of arsenic stress in plants, the underlying [...] Read more.
Arsenate (AsV) is absorbed and accumulated by plants, which can affect their physiological activities, disrupt gene expression, alter metabolite content, and influence growth. Despite the potential of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) to mitigate the adverse effects of arsenic stress in plants, the underlying mechanisms of ZnONPs-mediated detoxification of AsV, as well as the specific metabolites and metabolic pathways involved, remain largely unexplored. In this study, we demonstrated root metabolomic profiling of soybean germinating seedlings subjected to 25 μmol L−1 arsenate (Na2HAsO4) and ZnONPs at concentrations of 25 μmol L−1 (ZnO25) and 50 μmol L−1 (ZnO50). The objective of this study was to examine the effects on soybean root metabolomics under AsV toxicity. Metabolomic analysis indicated that 453, 501, and 460 metabolites were significantly regulated in response to AsV, ZnO25, and ZnO50 treatments, respectively, compared to the control. Pathway analysis of the differentially regulated metabolites (DRMs) revealed that the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, glutathione metabolism, proline and aldarate metabolism, and arginine and proline metabolism were the most statistically enriched pathways in ZnONPs-supplemented plants. These findings suggest that ZnONPs enhance the tolerance response to AsV. Collectively, our results support the hypothesis that ZnONPs fertilization could be a potential strategy for improving soybean crop resilience under AsV stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological Response and Molecular Mechanisms of Plants to Heavy Metal/Loid Toxicity)
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22 pages, 5341 KiB  
Article
Mechanisms by Which Increased pH Ameliorates Copper Excess in Citrus sinensis Roots: Insight from a Combined Analysis of Physiology, Transcriptome, and Metabolome
by Jiang Zhang, Wei-Lin Huang, Wen-Shu Chen, Rong-Yu Rao, Ning-Wei Lai, Zeng-Rong Huang, Lin-Tong Yang and Li-Song Chen
Plants 2024, 13(21), 3054; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13213054 - 31 Oct 2024
Viewed by 995
Abstract
Limited data are available on copper (Cu)–pH interaction-responsive genes and/or metabolites in plant roots. Citrus sinensis seedlings were treated with 300 μM (Cu toxicity) or 0.5 μM (control) CuCl2 at pH 3.0 or 4.8 for 17 weeks. Thereafter, gene expression and metabolite [...] Read more.
Limited data are available on copper (Cu)–pH interaction-responsive genes and/or metabolites in plant roots. Citrus sinensis seedlings were treated with 300 μM (Cu toxicity) or 0.5 μM (control) CuCl2 at pH 3.0 or 4.8 for 17 weeks. Thereafter, gene expression and metabolite profiles were obtained using RNA-Seq and widely targeted metabolome, respectively. Additionally, several related physiological parameters were measured in roots. The results indicated that elevating the pH decreased the toxic effects of Cu on the abundances of secondary metabolites and primary metabolites in roots. This difference was related to the following several factors: (a) elevating the pH increased the capacity of Cu-toxic roots to maintain Cu homeostasis by reducing Cu uptake and Cu translocation to young leaves; (b) elevating the pH alleviated Cu toxicity-triggered oxidative damage by decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and free fatty acid abundances and increasing the ability to detoxify ROS and maintain cell redox homeostasis in roots; and (c) increasing the pH prevented root senescence and cell wall (CW) metabolism impairments caused by Cu toxicity by lowering Cu levels in roots and root CWs, thus improving root growth. There were some differences and similarities in Cu–pH interaction-responsive genes and metabolites between leaves and roots. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological Response and Molecular Mechanisms of Plants to Heavy Metal/Loid Toxicity)
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18 pages, 3014 KiB  
Article
Zinc Enhances Cadmium Accumulation in Shoots of Hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum by Improving ATP-Dependent Transport and Alleviating Toxicity
by Jia Zheng, Yukang Yue, Yuting Zhu, Yufeng Wang, Wenwen Zheng, Linfeng Hu, Dianyun Hou, Fayuan Wang, Liming Yang and Hongxiao Zhang
Plants 2024, 13(17), 2528; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13172528 - 9 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1514
Abstract
Solanum nigrum is a cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) accumulator with potential for phytoextraction of soil contaminated with heavy metals. However, how Zn affects Cd accumulation in S. nigrum remains unclear. In this study, S. nigrum seedlings were treated with 100 μmol·L−1 [...] Read more.
Solanum nigrum is a cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) accumulator with potential for phytoextraction of soil contaminated with heavy metals. However, how Zn affects Cd accumulation in S. nigrum remains unclear. In this study, S. nigrum seedlings were treated with 100 μmol·L−1 Zn (Zn100), 100 μmol·L−1 Cd (Cd100), and the Zn and Cd combination (Zn100+Cd100) for 10 days under hydroponic culture. Compared with Cd100, the Cd content in stems, leaves, and xylem saps was 1.8, 1.6, and 1.3 times more than that in Zn100+Cd100, respectively. In addition, the production of reactive oxygen species in leaves was significantly upregulated in Cd100 compared with the control, and it was downregulated in Zn100. Comparative analyses of transcriptomes and proteomes were conducted with S. nigrum leaves. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were involved in Cd uptake, transport, and sequestration, and the upregulation of some transporter genes of Zn transporters (ZIPs), a natural resistance associated macrophage protein (Nramp1), a metal–nicotianamine transporter (YSL2), ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABCs), oligopeptide transporters (OPTs), and metallothionein (MTs) and glutathione S-transferase (GSTs) genes was higher in Zn100+Cd100 than in Cd100. In addition, differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) involved in electron transport chain, ATP, and chlorophyll biosynthesis, such as malate dehydrogenases (MDHs), ATPases, and chlorophyll a/b binding proteins, were mostly upregulated in Zn100. The results indicate that Zn supplement increases Cd accumulation and tolerance in S. nigrum by upregulating ATP-dependent Cd transport and sequestration pathways. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological Response and Molecular Mechanisms of Plants to Heavy Metal/Loid Toxicity)
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26 pages, 3918 KiB  
Article
Recovery of Scots Pine Seedlings from Long-Term Zinc Toxicity
by Yury V. Ivanov, Alexandra I. Ivanova, Alexander V. Kartashov and Vladimir V. Kuznetsov
Plants 2024, 13(16), 2227; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13162227 - 11 Aug 2024
Viewed by 863
Abstract
We studied the recovery of the growth and physiological parameters of Scots pine seedlings after long-term zinc toxicity. The removal of excess zinc from the nutrient solution resulted in the rapid recovery of primary root growth but did not promote the initiation and [...] Read more.
We studied the recovery of the growth and physiological parameters of Scots pine seedlings after long-term zinc toxicity. The removal of excess zinc from the nutrient solution resulted in the rapid recovery of primary root growth but did not promote the initiation and growth of lateral roots. The recovery of root growth was accompanied by the rapid uptake of manganese, magnesium, and copper. Despite the maximum rate of manganese uptake by the roots, the manganese content in the needles of the recovering plants did not reach control values during the 28 days of the experiment, unlike magnesium, iron, and copper. In general, the recovery of ion homeostasis eliminated all of the negative effects on the photosynthetic pigment content in the needles. However, these changes, along with recovery of the water content in the needles, were not accompanied by an increase in the weight gain of the recovering seedlings compared with that of the Zn-stressed seedlings. The increased accumulation of phenolic compounds in the needles persisted for a long period after excess zinc was removed from the nutrient solution. The decreased lignin content in the roots and needles is a characteristic feature of Zn-stressed plants. Moreover, the removal of excess zinc from the nutrient solution did not lead to an increase in the lignin content in the organs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological Response and Molecular Mechanisms of Plants to Heavy Metal/Loid Toxicity)
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Review

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15 pages, 2142 KiB  
Review
Utilization of Antagonistic Interactions Between Micronutrients and Cadmium (Cd) to Alleviate Cd Toxicity and Accumulation in Crops
by Muhammad Shahzad, Ayesha Bibi, Ameer Khan, Ali Shahzad, Zhengyuan Xu, Tagarika Munyaradzi Maruza and Guoping Zhang
Plants 2025, 14(5), 707; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14050707 - 26 Feb 2025
Viewed by 733
Abstract
The presence of cadmium (Cd) in agricultural soils poses a serious risk to crop growth and food safety. Cadmium uptake and transport in plants occur through the various transporters of nutrient ions that have similar physical and chemical properties to Cd, indicating that [...] Read more.
The presence of cadmium (Cd) in agricultural soils poses a serious risk to crop growth and food safety. Cadmium uptake and transport in plants occur through the various transporters of nutrient ions that have similar physical and chemical properties to Cd, indicating that the genetic manipulation of these transporters and agronomic improvement in the Cd-antagonistic nutrients could be a good approach for reducing Cd uptake and accumulation in crops. In this review, we discuss the interactions between Cd and some micronutrients, including zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn), focusing on their influence on the expression of genes encoding Cd-related transporters, including ZIP7, NRAMP3, and NRAMP4. Genetic improvements in enhancing the specificity and efficiency of transporters and agronomic improvements in optimizing micronutrient nutrition can inhibit the Cd uptake and transport by these transporters. This comprehensive review provides a deep insight into genetic and agronomic improvement for fighting against Cd contamination and enhancing sustainable agricultural production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological Response and Molecular Mechanisms of Plants to Heavy Metal/Loid Toxicity)
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