Silene nicaeensis is a wild Mediterranean grassoften restricted to sandy sea shore and exhibiting an excellenttolerance to drought and salinity. Within Silene genus,several heavy metal-tolerant ecotypes have been identified,but information on molecular basis of such metal toleranceis still limited. Conceivably, salt-tolerant plants may representa powerful tool for the remediation of heavy metal contaminatedsites in saline environment. Here, a gene encoding ametallothionein protein was isolated from S. nicaeensis. Sequenceanalysis identified the motifs characteristic of type IImetallothionein and designated as SnMT2. SnMT2 expressionwas investigated in plants collected from two sites differing inMetal Pollution Index (MPI). SnMT2 expression by polymerasechain reaction-based semi-quantitative transcript analysisshowed a high accumulation in the leaves; in situ hybridizationshowed a steady localization of SnMT2 mRNA in thevascular bundle and in proliferating tissues. Moreover, anincrease of SnMT2 was observed in the root of plants collectedfrom area with higher MPI. The putative role of SnMT2 inmetal tolerance is discussed.
Expression pattern of a type-2 metallothionein gene in a wild population of the psammophyte Silene nicaeensis
Cozza R.;Bruno L.;Bitonti M. B.
2013-01-01
Abstract
Silene nicaeensis is a wild Mediterranean grassoften restricted to sandy sea shore and exhibiting an excellenttolerance to drought and salinity. Within Silene genus,several heavy metal-tolerant ecotypes have been identified,but information on molecular basis of such metal toleranceis still limited. Conceivably, salt-tolerant plants may representa powerful tool for the remediation of heavy metal contaminatedsites in saline environment. Here, a gene encoding ametallothionein protein was isolated from S. nicaeensis. Sequenceanalysis identified the motifs characteristic of type IImetallothionein and designated as SnMT2. SnMT2 expressionwas investigated in plants collected from two sites differing inMetal Pollution Index (MPI). SnMT2 expression by polymerasechain reaction-based semi-quantitative transcript analysisshowed a high accumulation in the leaves; in situ hybridizationshowed a steady localization of SnMT2 mRNA in thevascular bundle and in proliferating tissues. Moreover, anincrease of SnMT2 was observed in the root of plants collectedfrom area with higher MPI. The putative role of SnMT2 inmetal tolerance is discussed.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
