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Review
. 2020 Jul 15;9(7):896.
doi: 10.3390/plants9070896.

Glycine Betaine Accumulation, Significance and Interests for Heavy Metal Tolerance in Plants

Shafaqat Ali  1   2 , Zohaib Abbas  1 , Mahmoud F Seleiman  3   4 , Muhammad Rizwan  1 , İlkay YavaŞ  5 , Bushra Ahmed Alhammad  6 , Ashwag Shami  7 , Mirza Hasanuzzaman  8 , Dimitris Kalderis  9
Affiliations
Review

Glycine Betaine Accumulation, Significance and Interests for Heavy Metal Tolerance in Plants

Shafaqat Ali et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

Unexpected biomagnifications and bioaccumulation of heavy metals (HMs) in the surrounding environment has become a predicament for all living organisms together with plants. Excessive release of HMs from industrial discharge and other anthropogenic activities has threatened sustainable agricultural practices and limited the overall profitable yield of different plants species. Heavy metals at toxic levels interact with cellular molecules, leading towards the unnecessary generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), restricting productivity and growth of the plants. The application of various osmoprotectants is a renowned approach to mitigate the harmful effects of HMs on plants. In this review, the effective role of glycine betaine (GB) in alleviation of HM stress is summarized. Glycine betaine is very important osmoregulator, and its level varies considerably among different plants. Application of GB on plants under HMs stress successfully improves growth, photosynthesis, antioxidant enzymes activities, nutrients uptake, and minimizes excessive heavy metal uptake and oxidative stress. Moreover, GB activates the adjustment of glutathione reductase (GR), ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) contents in plants under HM stress. Excessive accumulation of GB through the utilization of a genetic engineering approach can successfully enhance tolerance against stress, which is considered an important feature that needs to be investigated in depth.

Keywords: antioxidant enzymes; exogenous application; genetic engineering; glycine betaine (GB) accumulation; heavy metal stress; plants.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Heavy metals stress signaling in plants.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Biosynthesis pathway of glycine betaine in higher plants.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Abiotic stress response in plants.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced oxidative damage to DNA, lipids and proteins.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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