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Table 3 Overview of some heavy metal triggered signals in comparison to other environmental stresses

From: How plants cope with heavy metals

Heavy metal

Signal

Other stress conditions

Cellular responses

References

Copper

Calcium fluxes

Cold, drought, salinity

Phosphoprotein cascades, 2nd signalling molecules

Nielson et al. Nielsen et al. 2003reviewed by Sanders et al. 1999Knight 2000

Cadmium, chromium

Mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways

Osmotic stress, pathogen contact

Activation of transcription factors and stress-responsive genes

Liu et al. 2010Ding et al. 2009, reviewed in Xiong et al. 2002

Iron

pH shifts

Pathogen contact

Induction of secondary metabolism

;Marschner and Römheld 1983Viehweger et al. 2006

Cobalt, zinc

Plant hormones like abscisic acid or ethylene

Cold, drought, salinity

Calcium signalling, guard cell regulation (water balance)

Zengin 2006reviewed in Zhu 2002

Cadmium, copper

Jasmonic acid

Pathogen contact, sugar, drought, salinity

Defence/stress response, development, induction of secondary metabolism

Agrawal et al. 2003Chen et al. 2006Maksymiec 2011reviewed in Howe and Schilmiller 2002Turner et al. 2002

Redox-active metals like iron, copper; almost all heavy metals at higher concentrations

Reactive oxygen species

Pathogen contact, cold, drought, salinity, high light intensity

Phosphoprotein cascades, activation of transcription factors and stress-responsive genes, activation of antioxidative defence

Reviewed in Foyer and Noctor 2005aAhmad et al. 2008

  1. It is not comprehensive but gives an insight in the complex cellular signalling network and the resultant metabolic reactions.