ABSTRACT
Anthropogenic activities introduce different types of heavy metals into the soil. Lead (Pb) is one of the most hazardous heavy metals in terms of environmental load and toxicity. Plants are exposed to lead from soil and aerosol sources. It is a stable heavy metal and any positive role of it in plant growth and metabolism is still not quite known. It can be taken up by plants through cation channels present in root and transported to stem and leaves. Pb toxicity in plants causes induction of oxidative stress and either directly or indirectly induces DNA damage and protein degradation. Taken together, all these detrimental effects result in reduction of crop yield and quality. Copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient for plant. Plants maintain low copper concentration in the cells because at higher concentrations it behaves as a cytotoxic stress factor by generating Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and other free radicals. These free radicals are not only capable of introducing DNA damage but also the other macromolecules including protein; thus renders the cell both structurally and functionally vulnerable. This present study depicts the very initial stages of investigation of cellular macromolecular damage due to metal stress.In recent years, great efforts are made to increase Pb and Cu stress tolerance capacity of plants. This present study depicts the initial stages of investigation of cellular macromolecular damage due to metal stress. This will enable to understand the basic mechanism of metal induced toxicity on plant cell physiology.
