Visualization of Hg2+ Stress on Plant Health at the Subcellular Level Revealed by a Highly Sensitive Fluorescent Sensor

Sumeera Asghar; Zhenyang Yu; Zheng Zhu; Dengyue Zheng; Zimo Zhao; Yuming Xu; Xiao Liu; Chao Yuan; Yan Li; Wei Wang; Jianfeng Xu; Huailong Teng; Jun Li; Wen-Chao Yang; Chunli Chen

doi:10.34133/research.0570

Visualization of Hg²⁺ Stress on Plant Health at the Subcellular Level Revealed by a Highly Sensitive Fluorescent Sensor

Research (Wash D C). 2025 Jan 7:8:0570. doi: 10.34133/research.0570. eCollection 2025.

Authors

Sumeera Asghar^{1

2

3

4}, Zhenyang Yu^{4

5}, Zheng Zhu³, Dengyue Zheng³, Zimo Zhao³, Yuming Xu³, Xiao Liu⁴, Chao Yuan^{4

6}, Yan Li², Wei Wang¹, Jianfeng Xu³, Huailong Teng⁴, Jun Li^{4

5}, Wen-Chao Yang¹, Chunli Chen^{3

5}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.
² The Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation Germplasm Innovation in Mountainous Region, College of Life Sciences, Institute of Agro-bioengineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.
³ Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.
⁴ National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation and Utilization for Fruit and Vegetable Horticultural Crops, Wuhan, China.
⁵ College of Chemistry, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.
⁶ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming 525000, China.

Abstract

The presence of Hg²⁺ causes substantial stress to plants, adversely affecting growth and health by disrupting cell cycle divisions, photosynthesis, and ionic homeostasis. Accurate visualization of the spatiotemporal distribution of Hg²⁺ in plant tissues is crucial for the management of Hg pollution; however, the related research is still at its early stage. Herein, a small-molecule amphiphilic fluorescent probe (termed LJTP2) was developed for the specific detection of Hg²⁺ with a high sensitivity (~16 nM). Fluorescent imaging applications with LJTP2 not only detected the dynamic distribution of Hg²⁺ within plant cells at the subcellular level but also enabled the understanding of cell membrane health under Hg²⁺ stress. This study introduces a valuable imaging tool for elucidating the molecular mechanism of Hg²⁺ stress in plants, demonstrating the potential of the application of small-molecule fluorescent probes in plant science.