Reduced clastogenic activity of maleic hydrazide in Vicia faba seedlings grown in a situation of overcrowding stress

Published Date
Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis
7 March 2005, Vol.581(1):133–139, doi:10.1016/j.mrgentox.2004.11.017

Author 

• Antonio De Marco ^a
• Malgorzata Owczarek ^a
• Marcello Raglione ^b
• Barbara Lanza ^b,,

• aIstituto per lo Studio degli Ecosistemi, CNR, Largo Tonolli 50/52,Verbania, Italy
• bIstituto Sperimentale per lo Studio e la Difesa del Suolo, Via Casette 1, 02100 Rieti, Italy

Received 6 June 2004. Revised 16 November 2004. Accepted 27 November 2004. Available online 12 January 2005.

Abstract

A pre-treatment stress situation of overcrowding of Vicia faba seedlings in the phase of germination and growth influenced their subsequent sensibility to treatment with the mutagenic herbicide maleic hydrazide. The seedlings showed a significant reduction in the frequency of micronucleated cells when they grew in a strongly crowded manner compared with scattered and uniformly distributed seedlings (3.83% versus 11.46%). The findings do not provide evidence for the involvement of phytochelatins in response to stress conditions in this process: pre-treatment with buthionine sulfoximine, a specific inhibitor of phytochelatin synthesis, did not modify the response of the seedlings to maleic hydrazide under conditions of overcrowding or under normal conditions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the root tip of V. faba grown in conditions of normal growth or overcrowding. SEM micrographs revealed differences between the tips with regards to root hair density and root surface morphology. Finally, we found a positive correlation between the frequency of micronucleated cells and the length of the primary root, for every time of growth considered (1, 3, 4 and 5 days).

Keywords

Overcrowding

Maleic hydrazide

Vicia faba

Stress

Micronuclei

Scanning electron microscopy

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• * 
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Copyright © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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