Proteomic analysis of Arabidopsis halleri shoots in response to the heavy metals Cadmium and Zinc and rhizosphere microorganisms

Arabidopsis halleri has the rare ability to colonize heavy metal-polluted sites and is an emerging model for research on adaptation and metal hyperaccumulation. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of plant-microbe interaction on the accumulation of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) in shoots of an ecotype of A. halleri grown in heavy metal-contaminated soil and to compare the shoot proteome of plants grown solely in the presence of Cd and Zn or in the presence of these two metals and the autochthonous soil rhizosphere-derived microorganisms. The results of this analysis emphasized the role of plant-microbe interaction in shoot metal accumulation. Differences in protein expression pattern, identified by a proteomic approach involving 2-DE and MS, indicated a general upregulation of photosynthesis-related proteins in plants exposed to metals and to metals plus microorganisms, suggesting that metal accumulation in shoots is an energy-demanding process. The analysis also showed that proteins involved in plant defense mechanisms were downregulated indicating that heavy metals accumulation in leaves supplies a protection system and highlights a cross-talk between heavy metal signaling and defense signaling.