LAUSR

Allelopathy is a phenomenon, where one species releases compounds able to inhibit the growth of other species. Juglone, 5-hydroxy-1,4-naphtoquinone, is an allelochemical produced by walnut trees. The main mode of juglone toxicity is the formation of semiquinone radicals, able to reduce O2 to superoxide. Prenyllipid antioxidants such as tocopherol and plastoquinone are important for antioxidant defense in photosynthetic organisms. Here we assess their participation in the response to juglone. The impact of 20 μM juglone on the content of photosynthetic pigments and prenyllipid antioxidants in green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was measured over an incubation period of 7.5 h in low light and over 40 min under high light or in darkness. The decrease in pigment and prenyllipid content, accompanied by an increase in lipid hydroperoxides was observed over a longer incubation period with juglone. Simultaneous exposure to high light and juglone led to a pronounced decrease in carotenoids and prenyllipids, while there was no decrease in high light alone and no decrease or only a slight decrease in the series with juglone alone. The fact that semiquinone radicals are generated in juglone-exposed cells was confirmed using EPR spectroscopy. This article also shows that C. reinhardtii may be a suitable model for studies on some modes of phytotoxic action of allelochemicals.