Unearthing the alleviatory mechanisms of hydrogen sulfide in aluminum toxicity in rice.

Hydrogen sulfide (HS) improves aluminum (Al) resistance in rice, however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, treatment with 30-μM Al significantly inhibited rice root growth and increased the total Al content, apoplastic and cytoplasm Al concentration in the rice roots. However, pretreatment with NaHS (HS donor) reversed these negative effects. Pretreatment with NaHS significantly increased energy production under Al toxicity conditions, such as by increasing the content of ATP and nonstructural carbohydrates. In addition, NaHS stimulated the AsA-GSH cycle to decrease the peroxidation damage induced by Al toxicity. Pretreatment with NaHS significantly inhibited ethylene emissions in the rice and then inhibited pectin synthesis and increased the pectin methylation degree to reduce cell wall Al deposition. The phytohormones indole-3-acetic and brassinolide were also involved in the alleviation of Al toxicity by HS. The transcriptome results further confirmed that HS alleviates Al toxicity by increasing the pathways relating to material and energy metabolism, redox reactions, cell wall components, and signal transduction. These findings improve our understanding of how HS affects rice responses to Al toxicity, which will facilitate further studies on crop safety.