Stress responses to trichlorophenol in Arabidopsis and integrative analysis of alteration in transcriptional profiling from microarray

Abstract

Trichlorophenols, also known as TCPs, are one of the most persistent environmental pollutants. It is a matter of concern as they are toxic and cumulative in soil and water bodies which could lead to serious consequences to the biosphere. How plants respond to this compound has rarely been examined previously. In our study, detailed morphological and physiological responses of Arabidopsis to 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, a representative TCP, were investigated. Seed germination and seedling growth were markedly inhibited by 2,4,6-TCP. Furthermore, we performed gene expression profiling analysis upon 2,4,6-TCP treatment in Arabidopsis and identified 34 transcripts induced and 212 repressed more than four folds. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that these TCP-responsive genes are involved in various biological processes, such as secondary metabolism, biological regulation, response to stimulus and other processes related to growth and development. The activities of two reactive oxygen species-related enzymes (peroxidase and superoxide dismutase) and the content of malondialdehyde were increased significantly after 2,4,6-TCP treatment. Our findings have the potential to provide valuable gene resources and theoretical information for more in-depth analyses of TCPs' response in Arabidopsis thaliana and even other organic pollutants.