Hydrogen sulfide is a mediator in H2O2-induced seed germination in Jatropha Curcas

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a second messenger, plays a vital role in seed germination and plant growth, development as well as the acquisition of stress tolerance, while hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is considered as a new emerging cell signal molecule in higher plants. In the present study, soaking of H2O2 greatly improved germination percentage of Jatropha curcas seeds, stimulated the increase of l-cysteine desulfhydrase activity, which in turn induced accumulation of H2S. On the contrary, pretreatment of aminooxyacetic acid (AOA), inhibitor of H2S biosynthesis, eliminated H2O2 stimulated the increase of activity of l-cysteine desulfhydrase and accumulation of H2S as well as improvement of germination percentage. In addition, exogenously applied H2S also could improve germination percentage of seeds of J. curcas. These results suggested that pretreatment of H2O2 could improve germination percentage of J. curcas seeds and this improvement was mediated by H2S.