Determination of reactive oxygen species in salt stressed plant tissues

ANDRES ALBERTO RODRIGUEZ; EDITH TALEISNIK

Plant Salt Tolerance: Methods and Protocols, Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology

HUMANA PRESS - SPRINGER SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, LLC

Año: 2012; p. 225 - 236

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) participate in signaling events that regulate ion channel activity and gene expression. However, excess ROS exert adverse effects that stem from their interaction with macromolecules. Thus, the assessment of the effects of salinity on ROS changes are central to understanding how plants respond and cope with this stress. ROS determination in salt stressed plants poses specific challenges. On the one hand, salinity comprises osmotic and ion-specific effects which may, in turn, have different effects on ROS production. On the other hand, changes in ROS production may happen when tissues from salinized plants are subject to water potential changes when incubated in non-isosmotic solutions. This chapter provides detailed accounts of methods for reactive oxygen species detection in tissues from salt-stressed plants and includes suggestions for avoiding artifacts when dealing with such tissues.