Bohuslavska L. Physiological and biochemical adaptations to the action of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, nickel) of the root system of corn plants

Boguslavska L.V. "Physiological and biochemical adaptations to the action of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, nickel) of the root system of corn plants." – Qualifying scientific work on manuscript rights. The dissertation on competition of a scientific degree of the candidate of agricultural sciences on a specialty 03.00.16 «Ecology». – Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University, Dnipro, 2023. The dissertation is devoted to the study of the combined effect of lead, cadmium, and nickel ions on the growth, cytogenetic, and physiological-biochemical indicators of the meristem tissues of the maize root. Both general and specific effects of toxic action for each of the metal ions were established, which are manifested in the features of changes in the cellular organization of the apical part of the root and physiological and biochemical changes in connection with the functional activity of the meristem. Under the conditions of a model experiment, the combined effect of heavy metal ions on the cytogenetic apparatus of the generative tissues of the maize root was analyzed for the first time, and the yield of aberrant cells in the root meristem of corn under the triple action of lead, cadmium, and nickel was studied. For the first time, changes in the component composition of water-soluble proteins of the meristem under the action of heavy metal ions were detected. The study of the specificity of the protein spectrum of the meristem showed that as a result of the action of metal ions, its qualitative and quantitative characteristics change depending on the concentration and duration of the action of the pollutant. Against the background of a decrease in the overall intensity of protein synthesis, changes in the polypeptide composition specific to both heavy metals and their combination were determined for the first time. For the first time, the dynamics of protein amino acid content in root meristems under the influence of heavy metal ions was investigated. A directed change in the activity and isozyme composition of peroxidase of the generative tissues of the maize root under the individual and combined action of heavy metal ions was established. The peculiarities of the activity and isozyme composition of peroxidase under the action of lead, cadmium and nickel ions have been clarified. Key words: ions, heavy metals, meristems, chromosomal aberrations, proteins, amino acids, peroxidase, isozymes.