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Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most threatening soil and water contaminants in agricultural settings. In previous studies, we observed that Cd affects the metabolism and physiology of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants even after short-term exposure. The objective of this research was to use cross-genotype grafting to distinguish between root- and shoot-mediated responses of tomato genotypes with contrasting Cd tolerance at the early stages of Cd exposure. This study provides the first report of organ-specific contributions in two tomato genotypes with contrasting Cd tolerance: Solanum lycopersicum cv. Calabash Rouge and Solanum lycopersicum cv. Pusa Ruby (which have been classified and further characterized as sensitive (S) and tolerant (T) to Cd, respectively). Scion S was grafted onto rootstock S (S/S) and rootstock T (S/T), and scion T was grafted onto rootstock T (T/T) and rootstock S (T/S). A 35 μM cadmium chloride (CdCl

A first insight into the effects of cadmium exposure on the phosphoproteome of tomato plants by performing a comparative analysis of tomato genotypes with contrasting cadmium tolerance.

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal considered as one of the main toxic pollutants in the environment and affects several metabolic processes in plants and animals, justifying scientific efforts to study Cd bioremediation and biochemical, physiological, and molecular mechanisms of plant response and tolerance to cope with Cd toxicity. Phytochelatins (PCs) are nonribosomally synthesized small metal-binding peptides, structurally related to the tripeptide glutathione and efficiently induced by Cd in several plant species. Several studies have demonstrated that PCs contribute to the modulation of Cd response and tolerance in plants, in addition to potential applications of PC properties and functions to improve and optimize phytoremediation. The present chapter embodies information on the existing knowledge about direct and indirect contribution of PCs and their synthesis to modulation of Cd tolerance and accumulation in plants, by highlighting studies focused on gene expression, PC isoforms, peptide quantification, and genetic transformation of plants under Cd exposure, besides proteomic studies showing some differentially expressed glutathione metabolism-related proteins.

Cadmium (Cd) is known to be among the most toxic heavy metals to plants, posing severe risks to human health. Understanding Cd response mechanisms can provide insights into obtaining plants to be used for phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soils and selection of plants with different degrees of Cd tolerance. Metabolites are the end products of cellular regulatory processes and define the cellular phenotype induced by stresses such as Cd toxicity. This chapter aims to summarize the current panorama of research concerning the role of plant metabolites in response to cadmium stress through metabolomic profiling studies as well as studies of preselected compounds in plants exposed to Cd stress.

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal highly toxic to plants and human and animal health. The increased concentration of this metal in the environment in recent decades is the result of anthropogenic activities that include the production of mineral fertilizers, pesticides, intense mining, waste disposal, and foundries. Cd accumulation is known to induce oxidative stress in plant cells due to overproduction of reactive oxygen species, which may result in severe damage at the cellular level, ultimately impairing plant growth and productivity. In response to such stress, different molecules having enzymatic or nonenzymatic actions contribute to mitigate plant cellular damage and balance redox homeostasis in plant cells. This chapter aims to summarize current knowledge about the prospecting of important components of the molecular mechanisms associated with antioxidant machinery in plant response and tolerance to Cd toxicity. Insights into antioxidant response regulation, which includes hormones, signaling molecules, transcription factors, and microRNAs, are also presented.