effects of lead on microtubules in the root meristem. LeadLead is an environmental pollutant that interferes with plant growth. Unfortunately, the mechanisms of lead toxicity in treatment perturbed the alignment of microtubules in a concentration-dependent manner beginning at 10 mM. Microtubules of plants are still poorly understood. In this study, we have investigated both the deposition sites and sources of cellular different regions of the root meristem and in different stages of the cell cycle showed differential susceptibility to lead. These toxicity of lead in maize seedlings (Zea mays L. cv. Golden Cross Bantam). Using atomic absorption spectroscopy and effects do not appear to be general phenomena common to toxic metals, since aluminum and copper, at concentrations that X-ray fluorescence microprobing, we show that lead accumulation is highest in the root meristem, and that the accumulation decreased root growth to a comparable level, did not have the same detrimental effects on microtubules. Based on these occurs both in the apoplast and symplast. Since cells are results, we suggest that the damage to microtubules is partly dividing vigorously in this region and because microtubules play responsible for lead-associated toxicity in plants. an important role in cell division, we have further examined the various pollutants, including heavy metals (Ma et al. 1995, Panda et al. 1997, Kovalchuk et al. 1998, Steinkellner et al. 1998. Because formation of multiple micronuclei results from improper nuclear separation and cytokinetic disorder, we suspect that the components of the processes may be directly susceptible to toxic metals. Microtubules play key roles in both nuclear division and cytokinesis in plants. Thus, in the present work, we examined lead deposition sites in seedlings of maize and the effects of lead on the microtubule organization in the region of root where lead deposition was the highest.
Materials and methods
Plant materialMaize (Zea mays L. cv. Golden Cross Bantam) seeds were sterilized for 15 min with 0.5% calcium hypochlorite, washed several times with tap water and soaked overnight in