Abstract
Soil and water cadmium (Cd) pollution, intensified by industrial activities and excessive usage of cadmium-containing phosphate fertilizers, poses severe threats to crop growth. Glutathione (GSH), a key antioxidant, widely used in plants to maintain the homeostasis of reactive oxygen species under abiotic stress, including Cd stress, but its molecular mechanism in alfalfa was unclear. This study integrated transcriptomics, metabolomics, growth and physiological indicators to reveal GSH's role in alleviating Cd stress in alfalfa. Our results revealed that Cd stress significantly hindered alfalfa growth, which GSH application partially restored, evidenced by increased fresh weight and plant height. GSH reduced oxidative damage markers MDA content, superoxide anion level) and elevated antioxidant defenses (GSH content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, POD activity, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC)). Multi-omics analysis revealed that GSH alleviates Cd stress by enhancing the expression of genes and accumulation of metabolites associated with plant hormone signal transduction. Meanwhile, GSH stimulates amino acid and soluble sugar biosynthesis, notably increasing tryptophan and rhamnose levels, while concurrently upregulating genes like Acetyl s erotonin O-methyltransferase (ASMT), proline dehydrogenase (PRODH), and Trehalose-6-phosphate Phosphatase (otsB) to boost reactive oxygen species (ROS) clearance and osmotic regulation. Additionally, it upregulates lignin biosynthesis genes to fortify cell wall barriers against Cd. Moreover, GSH enhances gene expression of metal efflux protein and restricts Cd ion transport to the shoots, thereby reducing toxicity. In summary, this study provides novel molecular insights into GSH-mediated Cd tolerance in alfalfa, offering significant potential for developing Cd-tolerant varieties and advancing sustainable agriculture. • Cadmium stress enhanced oxidative stress, thereby inhibiting its growth, and exogenous glutathione effectively restored it. • Glutathione reduced cadmium transport and absorption by inhibiting the expression of metal transporters YSL, NRAMP, and HMA. • Glutathione activated tryptophan and glutathione metabolism to alleviate oxidative stress caused by cadmium stress.
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Claims 17
Claim · model-written summary
Cadmium stress significantly hindered alfalfa growth.
- Taxon
- alfalfa
Medicago sativae0 - Treatment
- Cd stresse0
- Outcome
- alfalfa growthe0
- Direction
- hinderede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cd stress significantly hindered alfalfa growth”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH partially restored alfalfa fresh weight under cadmium stress.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- GSH applicatione0
- Outcome
- fresh weighte0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- partially restorede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“GSH application partially restored, evidenced by increased fresh weight and plant height.”
t0“alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH partially restored alfalfa height under cadmium stress.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- GSH applicatione0
- Outcome
- plant heighte0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- partially restorede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“GSH application partially restored, evidenced by increased fresh weight and plant height.”
t0“alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH reduced MDA content and superoxide anion level.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- GSHe0
- Outcome
- MDA content, superoxide anion levele0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“GSH reduced oxidative damage markers MDA content, superoxide anion level)”
t0“alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH elevated endogenous GSH content, SOD and POD activities, and total antioxidant capacity.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- GSHe0
- Outcome
- GSH content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, POD activity, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC)e0
- Direction
- elevatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“elevated antioxidant defenses (GSH content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, POD activity, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC))”
t0“alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH enhanced expression of genes associated with plant hormone signal transduction.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- GSHe0
- Outcome
- expression of genese0
- Direction
- enhancinge0
- Qualifier
- associated with plant hormone signal transductione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“GSH alleviates Cd stress by enhancing the expression of genes and accumulation of metabolites associated with plant hormone signal transduction.”
t0“alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH increased accumulation of metabolites associated with plant hormone signal transduction.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- GSHe0
- Outcome
- accumulation of metabolitese0
- Direction
- enhancinge0
- Qualifier
- associated with plant hormone signal transductione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“GSH alleviates Cd stress by enhancing the expression of genes and accumulation of metabolites associated with plant hormone signal transduction.”
t0“alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH stimulated amino acid and soluble sugar biosynthesis.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- GSHe0
- Outcome
- amino acid and soluble sugar biosynthesise0
- Direction
- stimulatese0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“GSH stimulates amino acid and soluble sugar biosynthesis”
t0“alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH increased tryptophan levels.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- GSHe1
- Outcome
- tryptophane0
- Direction
- increasinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“notably increasing tryptophan and rhamnose levels”
t0“alfalfa”
e1“GSH stimulates amino acid and soluble sugar biosynthesis”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH increased rhamnose levels.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- GSHe1
- Outcome
- rhamnosee0
- Direction
- increasinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“notably increasing tryptophan and rhamnose levels”
t0“alfalfa”
e1“GSH stimulates amino acid and soluble sugar biosynthesis”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH upregulated ASMT, PRODH and otsB genes.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- GSHe1
- Outcome
- genes like Acetyl s erotonin O-methyltransferase (ASMT), proline dehydrogenase (PRODH), and Trehalose-6-phosphate Phosphatase (otsB)e0
- Direction
- upregulatinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“upregulating genes like Acetyl s erotonin O-methyltransferase (ASMT), proline dehydrogenase (PRODH), and Trehalose-6-phosphate Phosphatase (otsB)”
t0“alfalfa”
e1“GSH stimulates amino acid and soluble sugar biosynthesis”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH upregulated lignin biosynthesis genes, which the authors link to stronger cell wall barriers against cadmium.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- GSHe1
- Gene
- lignin biosynthesis genese0
- Outcome
- cell wall barriers against Cde0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“it upregulates lignin biosynthesis genes to fortify cell wall barriers against Cd.”
t0“alfalfa”
e1“GSH stimulates amino acid and soluble sugar biosynthesis”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH enhanced metal efflux protein gene expression.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- GSHe0
- Outcome
- gene expression of metal efflux proteine0
- Direction
- enhancese0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“GSH enhances gene expression of metal efflux protein”
t0“alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH restricted cadmium ion transport to shoots.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- GSHe1
- Outcome
- Cd ion transport to the shootse0
- Direction
- restrictse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“restricts Cd ion transport to the shoots”
t0“alfalfa”
e1“GSH enhances gene expression of metal efflux protein”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH inhibited expression of YSL, NRAMP and HMA metal transporters.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- Glutathionee0
- Outcome
- expression of metal transporters YSL, NRAMP, and HMAe0
- Direction
- inhibitinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Glutathione reduced cadmium transport and absorption by inhibiting the expression of metal transporters YSL, NRAMP, and HMA.”
t0“alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH reduced cadmium absorption.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- Glutathionee0
- Outcome
- cadmium transport and absorptione0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Glutathione reduced cadmium transport and absorption by inhibiting the expression of metal transporters YSL, NRAMP, and HMA.”
t0“alfalfa”
Claim · model-written summary
GSH activated tryptophan and glutathione metabolism to alleviate cadmium-induced oxidative stress.
- Taxon
- alfalfaMedicago sativat0
- Treatment
- Glutathionee0
- Outcome
- oxidative stress caused by cadmium stresse0
- Qualifier
- tryptophan and glutathione metabolisme0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Glutathione activated tryptophan and glutathione metabolism to alleviate oxidative stress caused by cadmium stress.”
t0“alfalfa”
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See all 13 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.