Dharmendra K. Gupta

Luisa M. Sandalio

Heavy metal accumulation in soil and water from natural sources or anthropogenic activities have produced severe environmental contamination in some parts of the world due to the persistence of metals in the environment by their accumulation throughout the food chain. The purpose of this book is to present the most recent advances in this field, mainly concerning the uptake and translocation of heavy metals in plants, mechanisms of toxicity, perception of metal and regulation of cell response under metal stress. Another key feature of this book is related to the studies on signaling and remediation processes in recent years, which have taken advantage of recent technological advances including "omic" approaches. In recent years transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic studies have become very important tools for analyzing both the dynamics of changes in gene expression and the profiles of protein and metabolites under heavy metal stress. This information is also very useful for plotting the complex signaling and metabolic network induced by heavy metals, in which hormones and reactive oxygen species (ROS) also play an important role. Understanding the mechanism involved in sequestration and hyperaccumulation is very important to developing new strategies of phytoremediation, which are reviewed in several chapters of this book. The information included yields very stimulating insights into the mechanism involved in the regulation of plant responses to heavy metals, which in turn improve our knowledge of cell regulation under metal stress and the use of plants for phytoremediation.

Metal Toxicity in Plants: Perception, Signaling and Remediation

Soumya Chatterjee

Clemens Walther

This book examines the way that lead enters the biosphere and the subsequent environmental impact. The contributing authors include international experts who provide methods for assessing and characterizing the ecological risk of lead contamination of soil and plants. Information is provided on the consequences for human health as a result of lead pollution. This book reveals that approximately 98% of stable lead in the atmosphere originates from human activities. Lead in Plants and the Environment reports on methods for detecting, measuring, and assessing the concentration of lead in plants. The authors provide a method for the measurement of 210Pb isotopes in plants. This method can be applied extensively in different environmental settings, not only as a way of revealing sources of lead, but also as a way to monitor lead transport in plants and animals that ingest them. The chapters include coverage on the following topics: · Lead bioavailability in the environment and its exposure and effects · Radioanalytical methods for detecting and identifying trace concentrations of lead in the environment · Lead contamination and its dynamics in soil plant systems · Lead pollution monitoring and remediation through terrestrial plants in mesocosm constructed wetlands · A review of phytoremediation of lead This book is a valuable resource to students, academics, researchers, and environmental professionals doing field work on lead contamination throughout the world.

Lead in Plants and the Environment

In recent years, radioactive contamination in the environment by uranium (U) and its daughters has caused increasing concerns globally. This book provides recent developments and comprehensive knowledge to the researchers and academicians who are working on uranium contaminated areas worldwide. This book covers topics ranging from the beginning of the nuclear age until today, including historical views and epidemiological studies. Modelling practices and evaluation of radiological and chemical impact of uranium on man and the environment are included. Also covered are analytical methods used for the determination of uranium in geo/bio environments. Some chapters explore factors which influence uranium speciation and in consequence plant uptake/translocation. Last but not least, several chapters provide approaches and practices for remediation of uranium contaminated areas.

Uranium in Plants and the Environment

Hormones and Plant Response

Francisco J. Corpas

José M. Palma

This book provides an overview of antioxidants and antioxidant enzymes and their role in the mechanisms of signaling and cellular tolerance under stress in plant systems. Major reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging/modulating enzymes include the superoxide dismutase (SOD) that dismutates O2 into H2O2, which is followed by the coordinated action of a set of enzymes including catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and peroxiredoxins (Prx) that remove H2O2. In addition to the ROS scavenging enzymes, a number of other enzymes are found in various subcellular compartments, which are involved in maintaining such redox homeostasis either by directly scavenging particular ROS and ROS-byproducts or by replenishing antioxidants. In that respect, these enzymes can be also considered antioxidants. Such enzymes include monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDAR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), glutathione reductase (GR), alternative oxidases (AOXs), peroxidases (PODs) and glutathione S-transferases (GSTs). Some non-enzymatic antioxidants, such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), carotenes (provitamin A), tocopherols (vitamin E), and glutathione (GSH), work in concert with antioxidant enzymes to sustain an intracellular steady-state level of ROS that promotes plant growth, development, cell cycles and hormone signaling, and reinforces the responses to abiotic and biotic environmental stressors. Offering a unique compilation of information on antioxidants and antioxidant enzymes, this is a valuable resource for advanced students and researchers working on plant biochemistry, physiology, biotechnology, and signaling in cell organelles, and those specializing in plant enzyme technology.

Antioxidants and Antioxidant Enzymes in Higher Plants

Plants possess a range of potential cellular mechanisms that may be involved in the detoxification of heavy metals and thus tolerance to metal stress. Metal toxicity causes multiple direct and indirect effects in plants that concern practically all physiological functions. The main purpose of this book is to present comprehensive and concise information on recent advances in the field of metal transport and how genetic diversity affects heavy metal transport in plants. Other key futures of the book are related to metal toxicity and detoxification mechanisms, biochemical tools for HM remediation processes, molecular mechanisms for HM detoxification, how metallomics and metalloproteomics are affected by heavy metal stress in plants, and the role of ROS metabolism in the alleviation of heavy metals. Some chapters also focus on recent developments in the field of phytoremediation. Overall the book presents in-depth information and the most essential advances in the field of heavy metal toxicity in plants in recent years.

Dharmendra K. Gupta

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