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Plants
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Toxicity Mechanisms of Phytotoxins
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Toxicity Mechanisms of Phytotoxins

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 4854

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Urszula Krasuska

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Guest Editor
Department of Plant Physiology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences–SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: reactive nitrogen and oxygen species mode of action in plants; physiology of seed dormancy; seed germination and seed ageing; phytotoxic action of non-protein amino acids; physiology of carnivorous plants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Katarzyna Ciacka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences–SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: physiology of seeds; molecular mechanism of seed germination; polyamines metabolism; metabolism of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microbial or plant phytotoxins are responsible for pathophysiological symptoms in other plants. The chemical characterization and biological modes of action of these compounds is still moderately recognized. What is known, is that phytotoxins are secondary metabolites and belong to different chemical groups, from low-molecular-weight constituents, amino acids, diterpenoids, lactones, peptides, and phenolics, to proteins and polysaccharides. The main negative effect of microbial phytotoxinsis is the induction of plant (the host) disease. Allelotoxins (allelopathic compounds) are produced by plants (donor plants) or microorganisms, and are released (via leaching, root exudation, volatilization, or residue decomposition) into the environment. The term allelopathy refers to the harmful or beneficial effects of plant–plant interactions. However, allelopathic compounds usually have a negative impact on the growth and development of other plants (acceptors). It is commonly accepted that phytotoxins are responsible for the success of invasive weeds. Thus, the possible application of these toxic compounds in agriculture is widely discussed. In addition, some phytotoxins are examined for their possible use in medicine.

For this reason, in this Special Issue, articles (original research papers, perspectives, hypotheses, opinions, reviews, modeling approaches, and methods) that focus on the phytotoxin chemical characterization and description/suggestion of the physiological modes of action (including research conducted in the area of biochemistry and physiology, at all levels comprising transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, epigenome, and whole plant studies) are most welcome.

Dr. Urszula Krasuska
Dr. Katarzyna Ciacka
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • allelopathy
  • harmful secondary metabolites
  • plant pathophysiology

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 3527 KiB  
Article
In Silico Conformation of the Drug Colchicine into Tubulin Models and Acute Phytotoxic Activity on Cucumis sativus Radicles
by Omar Aristeo Peña-Morán, Jesús Jiménez-Pérez, Litzia Cerón-Romero and Maribel Rodríguez-Aguilar
Plants 2022, 11(14), 1805; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11141805 - 08 Jul 2022
Viewed by 1499
Abstract
Many tests are used to determine the toxic activity of miscellaneous substances, and those that are simple, fast, and inexpensive are useful for screening compounds with applications in different fields. The Cucumis sativus root growth inhibition test is an example of acute toxicity [...] Read more.
Many tests are used to determine the toxic activity of miscellaneous substances, and those that are simple, fast, and inexpensive are useful for screening compounds with applications in different fields. The Cucumis sativus root growth inhibition test is an example of acute toxicity determinations. On the other hand, colchicine has been used as a herbicide to generate polyploids in plant species finally reaching the environment; for this reason, colchicine could become a point of attention in ecotoxicology. This work established that Cucumis sativus, at the colchicine binding site (CBS) in tubulin, shares 100% similarity with humans. Colchicine was docked on seven Cucumis sativus computational models of the αβ-tubulin heterodimer, allowing us to understand a possible conformation in tubulin to trigger its antimitotic effect. Furthermore, an in vitro phytotoxicity assay of colchicine-treated cucumber radicles indicated a hormetic-type concentration-dependent response with macroscopic changes in radicles and hypocotyl. These results support the highly preserved grade of tubulins in several species, and using microtubule inhibitors could require attention in ecotoxicological issues. The Cucumis sativus root growth test could help evaluate small molecules (colchicine analogs), chiefly by CBS interactions, a known druggable site, still a target in the search for antimitotic compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxicity Mechanisms of Phytotoxins)
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Review

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10 pages, 937 KiB  
Review
Toxicity of meta-Tyrosine
by Marcin Tyminski, Katarzyna Ciacka, Pawel Staszek, Agnieszka Gniazdowska and Urszula Krasuska
Plants 2021, 10(12), 2800; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10122800 - 17 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2761
Abstract
L-Tyrosine (Tyr) is one of the twenty proteinogenic amino acids and also acts as a precursor for secondary metabolites. Tyr is prone to modifications, especially under conditions of cellular redox imbalance. The oxidation of Tyr precursor phenylalanine leads to the formation of Tyr [...] Read more.
L-Tyrosine (Tyr) is one of the twenty proteinogenic amino acids and also acts as a precursor for secondary metabolites. Tyr is prone to modifications, especially under conditions of cellular redox imbalance. The oxidation of Tyr precursor phenylalanine leads to the formation of Tyr non-proteinogenic isomers, including meta-Tyr (m-Tyr), a marker of oxidative stress. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on m-Tyr toxicity. The direct m-Tyr mode of action is linked to its incorporation into proteins, resulting in their improper conformation. Furthermore, m-Tyr produced by some plants as an allelochemical impacts the growth and development of neighboring organisms. In plants, the direct harmful effect of m-Tyr is due to its modification of the proteins structure, whereas its indirect action is linked to the disruption of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species metabolism. In humans, the elevated concentration of m-Tyr is characteristic of various diseases and ageing. Indeed, m-Tyr is believed to play an important role in cancer physiology. Thus, since, in animal cells, m-Tyr is formed directly in response to oxidative stress, whereas, in plants, m-Tyr is also synthesized enzymatically and serves as a chemical weapon in plant–plant competition, the general concept of m-Tyr role in living organisms should be specified. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxicity Mechanisms of Phytotoxins)
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