Dopamine aiming to increase resilience against arsenic excess in rice

• Grant number: 24/18393-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Program to Stimulate Scientific Vocations
• Start date: January 08, 2025
• End date: February 22, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: Allan Klynger da Silva Lobato
• Grantee: Gabrieli Carvalho Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Agrárias. Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (UFRA). Belém , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Arsenic (As) is a known carcinogen that threatens human health. Using products with arsenic in agriculture as pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides has led to environmental contamination and chronic exposure of farmers and the population. In this context, molecules have been used to overcome and minimize the damage caused by heavy metals in plant organisms to improve the tolerance of seeds and seeds exposed to environmental contamination. Dopamine (DOP) is a member of the catecholamines widely found in the animal kingdom, especially among vertebrates and invertebrates; this neurotransmitter is characterized by its nervous system and hormonal metabolism. In plants, DOP is an essential water-soluble antioxidant, representing an interesting alternative for use in agriculture, as it maximizes the tolerance of plants under adverse stress conditions, such as water stress, metal toxicity, nutritional limitations, and salt stress. Based on this overview, As excess can delay several essential metabolic processes in plant metabolism, causing a reduction in germination rate and, negative interferences in root architecture, oxidative damage to tissues and cells. Previous research shows that exogenous use of DOP can favor the root system, stimulating root growth, germination, enzymes of the ascorbate-glutathione cycle, and biomass accumulation. Therefore, this study will verify the possible contributions of pretreatment with DOP in rice seedlings subjected to excess As, evaluating the responses related to gene expression, root anatomy, germination, antioxidant system and biomass accumulation. (AU)