Selenium Regulates Gene Expression for Glucosinolate and Carotenoid Biosynthesis in Arabidopsis

Abstract

Glucosinolates (GSs) and carotenoids are important plant secondary metabolites present in several plant species, including arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Although genotypic and environmental regulation of GSs and carotenoid compounds has been reported, few studies present data on their regulation at the molecular level. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore differential expression of genes associated with GSs and carotenoids in arabidopsis in response to selenium fertilization, shown previously to impact accumulations of both classes of metabolites in Brassica species. Arabidopsis was grown under 0.0 or 10.0 μM Na2SeO4 in hydroponic culture. Shoot and root tissue samples were collected before anthesis to measure GSs and carotenoid compounds and conduct gene expression analysis. Gene expression was determined using arabidopsis oligonucleotide chips containing more than 31,000 genes. There were 1274 differentially expressed genes in response to selenium (Se), of which 516 genes were upregulated. Ontology analysis partitioned differentially expressed genes into 20 classes. Biosynthesis pathway analysis using AraCyc revealed that four GSs, one carotenoid, and one chlorophyll biosynthesis pathways were invoked by the differentially expressed genes. Involvement of the same gene in more than one biosynthesis pathway indicated that the same enzyme may be involved in multiple GS biosynthesis pathways. The decrease in carotenoid biosynthesis under Se treatment occurred through the downregulation of phytoene synthase at the beginning of the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. These findings may be useful to modify the GS and carotenoid levels in arabidopsis and may lead to modification in agriculturally important plant species.