Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis promotes the transcription of antioxidant genes in a white poplar clone tolerant the heavy metals

Poplar (Popolus spp.) represents one of the tree species of greatest interest for the phytoremediation because of high biomass production, high growth vigor and the economic importance. The exposure to heavy metals, HM, triggers in the plant a complex network of responses. They include mobilization of the antioxidative protection and switching on the synthesis of metal-binding phytochelatins and metallothioneins, MT, in the cytoplasm. Under natural condition, roots of many tree species are associated with mycorrhyzal simbionts. This significantly modifies the response of plants to HM and it has convincingly been shown to alleviate HM-induced stress. The aim is to study how the exposure to HM and the symbiosis with two micorrhyzal fungi Glomus mosseae and Glomus intraradices could affect the transcription of the antioxidant and MT genes in a tolerant white poplar clone so that to deep on the knowledge on interrelated networks of the different antioxidant and detoxification systems activated by the plant in response to stress