Impairment of carbon metabolism induced by the herbicide glyphosate

Toxicological studies on the short term exposure of Clarias albopunctatus (Lamonte and Nichole 1927) to sub-lethal concentrations of roundup

The short term toxicity in Clarias albopunctatus (Lamonte and Nicole, 1927) exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of Roundup was studied. A total of 36 fish were divided into 3 groups in a static bioassay model. Fish in 2 test groups were exposed to 5 and 15 ppm, respectively, of Roundup while fish in the control group were not exposed to the toxicant. Six fish per group were bled exhaustively (each) at 48 h and at 96 h while the livers and gills were harvested at 96 h for histological studies. The results showed that serum concentrations of total and conjugated bilirubin increased significantly (p<0.05) in a dose-and time-dependent manner. Serum concentrations of alanine and aspartate aminotransferases and alkaline phosphatase were also significantly (p<0.05) elevated in the test fish. Similarly, serum concentrations of creatinine and urea were significantly (p<0.05) elevated in a dose-dependent manner. Histomorphologic studies of the liver and gills showed marked destruction of their architecture in the test fish, thus corroborating the data from the biochemical analyses. Short term exposure of Clarias albupunctatus to sub-lethal concentrations of Roundup was found to be toxic to the fish.

Proteolytic pathways induced by herbicides that inhibit amino acid biosynthesis

BACKGROUND

The herbicides glyphosate (Gly) and imazamox (Imx) inhibit the biosynthesis of aromatic and branched-chain amino acids, respectively. Although these herbicides inhibit different pathways, they have been reported to show several common physiological effects in their modes of action, such as increasing free amino acid contents and decreasing soluble protein contents. To investigate proteolytic activities upon treatment with Gly and Imx, pea plants grown in hydroponic culture were treated with Imx or Gly, and the proteolytic profile of the roots was evaluated through fluorogenic kinetic assays and activity-based protein profiling.

RESULTS

Several common changes in proteolytic activity were detected following Gly and Imx treatment. Both herbicides induced the ubiquitin-26 S proteasome system and papain-like cysteine proteases. In contrast, the activities of vacuolar processing enzymes, cysteine proteases and metacaspase 9 were reduced following treatment with both herbicides. Moreover, the activities of several putative serine protease were similarly increased or decreased following treatment with both herbicides. In contrast, an increase in YVADase activity was observed under Imx treatment versus a decrease under Gly treatment.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that several proteolytic pathways are responsible for protein degradation upon herbicide treatment, although the specific role of each proteolytic activity remains to be determined.

Branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis inhibitors: herbicide efficacy is associated with an induced carbon-nitrogen imbalance

Acetolactate synthase (ALS; EC 4.1.3.18) and ketol-acid reductoisomerase (KARI; EC 1.1.1.86) are two consecutive enzymes in the biosynthesis of branched-chain amino acids. Several commercial herbicides inhibit ALS as their primary site of action. KARI has also attracted attention as a potential target for herbicides. Although potent and selective inhibitors of KARI have been discovered, these inhibitors display less herbicidal activity than ALS-inhibiting herbicides. To obtain a better understanding of these findings, we have compared the physiological effects induced in pea plants after KARI or ALS inhibition. Although, both types of inhibitors induce growth arrest and photosynthesis inhibition, plant death occurs more rapidly under ALS inhibition than KARI inhibition. Carbohydrates accumulated in the leaves and roots following treatments with both inhibitors. The carbohydrate accumulation in the leaves occurred as a consequence of a decrease in sink strength. In contrast, the free amino acid content was only affected through ALS inhibition. These results indicate that although KARI and ALS inhibition block the same biosynthetic pathway and exert common effects on carbon metabolism, nitrogen metabolism is more affected via ALS than KARI inhibition. Thus, metabolic alterations in nitrogen metabolism induced through ALS inhibitors might contribute to the increased efficacy of these chemicals as herbicides.

Effects of nano-TiO₂ on photosynthetic characteristics of Ulmus elongata seedlings

The physiological and ecological responses of Ulmus elongata to different concentrations of nano-anatase TiO2 solutions were investigated in this study and we found that with foliar application of 0.1% (T1), 0.2% (T2) and 0.4% (T3) nano-anatase TiO2 solution the net photosynthetic rate of U. elongata seedlings were lower, comparing with the control (CK) (no spraying). TiO2 solution had no effect on the carbon isotope values (δ(13)C), indicating the lower photosynthetic capacity was not caused by stomatal limitation. The nitrogen isotope values (δ(15)N) decreased, but the foliar metal elements, such as Mg, K and Mn contents were not affected by nano-anatase TiO2 which promoted the Cu uptake. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the nano-anatase TiO2 enhanced the absorbance of U. elongata leaves, especially for 1064, 1638, 2926 and 3386 cm(-1) bands, indicating the synthesis of carbohydrate and lipid compounds was a kind of mechanism under the toxic effects of nanonanoparticles.

Glyphosate effects on gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence responses of two Lolium perenne L. biotypes with differential herbicide sensitivity

Despite the extensive use of glyphosate, how it alters the physiology and metabolism of plants is still unclear. Photosynthesis is not regarded to be a primary inhibitory target of glyphosate, but it has been reported to be affected by this herbicide. The aim of the current research was to determine the effects of glyphosate on the light and dark reactions of photosynthesis by comparing glyphosate-susceptible and glyphosate-resistant Lolium perenne biotypes. After glyphosate treatment, accumulation of reduced carbohydrates occurred before a decrease in gas exchange. Stomatal conductance and CO(2) assimilation were reduced earlier than chlorophyll fluorescence and the amount of chlorophyll in susceptible plants. In the glyphosate-resistant biotype, stomatal conductance was the only parameter slightly affected only 5 days post-application. In susceptible plants, the initial glyphosate effects on gas exchange could be a response to a feedback regulation of photosynthesis. Since the herbicide affects actively growing tissues regardless of the inhibition of photosynthesis, the demand of assimilates decreased and consequently induced an accumulation of carbohydrates in leaves. We concluded that stomatal conductance could be a very sensitive parameter to assess both the susceptibility/resistance to glyphosate before the phytotoxic symptoms become evident.