Grafting systems for plant cadmium research: Insights for basic plant physiology and applied mitigation

Author(s)

Marques, Deyvid Novaes ; Mason, Chase ; Stolze, Sara Christina ; Harzen, Anne ; Nakagami, Hirofumi ; Skirycz, Aleksandra ; Piotto, Fernando Angelo ; Azevedo, Ricardo Antunes

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Science of The Total Environment; v. 892, p. 18-pg., 2023-06-09.

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic and carcinogenic pollutant that poses a threat to human and animal health by affecting several major organ systems. Urbanization and human activities have led to significant increases in Cd concentration in the environment, including in agroecosystems. To protect against the harmful effects of Cd, efforts are being made to promote safe crop production and to clean up Cd-contaminated agricultural lands and water, reducing Cd exposure through the consumption of contaminated agricultural products. There is a need for management strategies that can improve plant Cd tolerance and reduce Cd accumulation in crop plant tissues, all of which involve understanding the impacts of Cd on plant physiology and metabolism. Grafting, a longstanding plant propagation technique, has been shown to be a useful approach for studying the effects of Cd on plants, including insights into the signaling be-tween organs and organ-specific modulation of plant performance under this form of environmental stress. Grafting can be applied to the large majority of abiotic and biotic stressors. In this review, we aim to highlight the current state of knowledge on the use of grafting to gain insights into Cd-induced effects as well as its potential applicability in safe crop production and phytoremediation. In particular, we emphasize the utility of heterograft systems for assess-ment of Cd accumulation, biochemical and molecular responses, and tolerance in crop and other plant species under Cd exposure, as well as potential intergenerational effects. We outline our perspectives and future directions for re-search in this area and the potential practical applicability of plant grafting, with attention to the most obvious gaps in knowledge. We aim at inspiring researchers to explore the potential of grafting for modulating Cd tolerance and ac-cumulation and for understanding the mechanisms of Cd-induced responses in plants for both agricultural safety and phytoremediation purposes. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 22/11018-7 - Metabolomics for cadmium stress response: focus on grafted tomato plants
• Grantee: Deyvid Novaes Marques
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• FAPESP's process: 21/06117-3 - Tomato enzymatic rouPAGEm and the tolerance mechanisms to cadmium-induced stress
• Grantee: Ricardo Antunes de Azevedo
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 20/12666-7 - Tissue-specific modulation of the proteome, phytoquelatin synthesis, and activity of antioxidant enzymes of tomato in response to Cd, by using reciprocal grafting
• Grantee: Deyvid Novaes Marques
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 17/05544-0 - Study of the cadmium uptake kinetics and accumulation in tomato cultivars
• Grantee: Deyvid Novaes Marques
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 18/22671-8 - Cadmium Tolerance in tomato: Determination of tissue-specific contribution by diallel analysis in approaches using reciprocal grafts
• Grantee: Fernando Angelo Piotto
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 18/20706-9 - Identification of key proteins in cadmium tolerance: proteomic analysis of Cd tolerant and sensitive tomato cultivars, and reciprocally grafted plants
• Grantee: Deyvid Novaes Marques
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate