Cadmium activates Arabidopsis MPK3 and MPK6 via accumulation of reactive oxygen species.

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential toxic heavy metal that influences normal growth and development of plants. However, the molecular mechanisms by which plants recognize and respond to Cd remain poorly understood. We show that, in Arabidopsis, Cd activates the mitogen-activated protein kinases, MPK3 and MPK6, in a dose-dependent manner. Following treatment with Cd, these two MAPKs exhibited much higher activity in the roots than in the leaves, and pre-treatment with the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, glutathione, effectively inhibited their activation. These results suggest that the Cd sensing signaling pathway uses a build-up of ROS to trigger activation of Arabidopsis MPK3 and MPK6. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.