Zinc (Zn) pollution in the soil represents a major problem for crop production worldwide. In the present work, two horticultural plants exhibiting different tolerance to Zn, Lactuca sativa cv. Phillipus and Brassica oleracea cv. Bronco, were exposed to Zn to evaluate the contribution of compatible osmolytes such as proline (Pro), glycine betaine (GB) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the mechanism(s) of tolerance to Zn stress. This study confirms the higher susceptibility of L. sativa to Zn stress: lettuce plants experienced a strong reduction in biomass, while the levels of Pro and GB increased. These results suggest that in L. sativa, the increase of Pro and GB does not represent a mechanism of resistance to toxicity, but it is likely a symptom of Zn stress. Conversely, in B. oleracea, a slight decrease in Pro levels, mainly catalysed by degradation through proline dehydrogenase, was observed; a similar behaviour affected GB levels. On the other hand, GABA synthesis was slightly, but significantly, increased. The presence of high levels of GABA in Zn-stressed B. oleracea would suggest that reactive oxygen species detoxification could be essential to improve the resistance to toxicity under metal stress conditions.
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