Cadmium (Cd) pollution is thought to be one of the leading threat to the environment due to its high toxicity. However, the molecular responses induced by Cd have so far been grossly overlooked. This study examines the morpho-physiological alterations combined with proteome changes in leaves of Sorghum bicolor when exposed to Cd. Ten days old sorghum seedlings were exposed to different concentrations (0, 100, and 150 μM) of CdCl2 and a significant accumulation of Cd in the leaves was recorded by ICP analysis. Furthermore, the effects of Cd exposure on protein expression patterns in S. Bicolor was investigated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and the 2-DE profile of leaf proteins from both control and Cd-treated seedlings were compared quantitatively using Progenesis SameSpot software. Results lined to morphological changes that plants treated with Cd suffered reduction of growth. The concentration of Cd was markedly reversed by the Cd treatments, whereas the absorption degree of Cd was increased by the higher concentration of Cd by confocal microscopy. Using 2-DE method, a total of 33 differentially expressed protein spots were identified by MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometry. Of those, 13 protein spots were significantly enhanced/reduced while 20 reduced under Cd treatment. The most of the up-regulated proteins are involved in oxidative response, glutathione and sulfur metabolism as well as the secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Collectively, our study provides insights into the integrated molecular mechanisms of early responses to Cd and growth and physiological characteristics of sorghum seedlings hoping to provide references on the mechanism of heavy metal damaging plants.

Copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient required for growth and development of plants. But, at a high concentration in soil, copper acts as a major toxic element to plant cells due to its potential inhibitory effects against many physiological and biochemical processes. In this study, the morphological and physiological changes were observed in the leaf of sorghum plants treated with different concentrations (0, 100, and 150 μM) of Copper (Cu). The results linked to morphological changes that plants treated with Cu suffered reduction in growth and morphological changes. In the ion concentration investigation, the concentrations of Cu2+ increased, the concentration of others interacting ions (Zn2+, Ca2+, Mn2+, Fe2+) were changed dramatically. For proteome analysis, 2-D combined with MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometry was performed. Two dimensional gels stained with silver staining, a total of 422 differential expressed proteins (≥ 2-fold) were identified using Progenesis SameSpot software. A total of 24 spots from Cu-induced sorghum leaf and 21 spots from Cu-induced sorghum root were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Out of 24 protein spots from Cu-stressed leaf, of which 16 protein spots were up-regulated and 8 protein spots were down-regulated whereas out of 21 protein spots, a total of 9 protein spots were up-regulated and 12 spots were down-regulated from Cu-stressed root. Taken together, these studies revealed the effects of heavy metal, Cu on the growth and physiological characteristics in sorghum seedlings and proteome investigation, hoping to provide references on the mechanism of heavy metal damaging plants.

The different forms of flowers in a species have drawn thoughtful attention of many evolutionary botanists, including Charles Darwin. Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.) is regarded as a dimorphic self-incompatible plant which bears either a pin or a thrum flower. It is revealed that the S supergene the key element to govern the self-incompatibility, flower morphology, and pollen size. Already, we have produced self-incompatible buckwheat lines by an interspecific cross between F. esculentum and F. homotropicum by using embryo rescue. We also notice that the self-compatibility allele, Sh, keeps up the heteromorphic incompatibility. In the past decades, two dimensional gel electrophoresis based proteomics approaches have been applied systematically to identify and profile proteins expressed during pollen development of model plant species. Proteome techniques have vastly been applied in the fields of plant genetics, plant development, and plant physiology and ecology to reveal plant genetic diversity, plant development, differentiation of plant tissue and organ, separation and functional identification of novel component of various organelles, mechanisms of plant adapted to abiotic or biotic stresses including high temperature, low temperature, high salt, drought, and pathogens and insects, and interaction of plant with microbe. However, the plethora of studies related to heteromorphic has added remarkably to our knowledge in the field of the multiple aspects of the breeding system and many researches have provided evidence for the connection between these two components. But in spite of its potential biological significance, the high throughput proteomics analysis of this connection has so far been grossly overlooked. So our attempts are to unravel the proteome investigation in common buckwheat.