The Expression Pattern of <i>ArgAH1</i> and <i>ArgAH2</i> Genes in <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>

Abstract

Urea is the major nitrogen form supplied as fertilizer in agricultural production and also an important nitrogen metabolite in plants. Urea can be generated from Arginine breakdown by Arginase in germinating seeds under salt stress. To better understanding the biological functions of Arginase gene, here, we carried out the expression analysis of ArgAH1 and ArgAH2 genes in response to salt stress and different nitrogen source during early seed germination and seedling growth stage. Our results show that ArgAH1 and ArgAH2 were highly expressed in root and siliques of Arabidopsis under normal conditions, respectively. However, the expression levels of ArgAH1 and ArgAH2 was up-regulated by salt stress in both roots and cotyledons. In addition, the expression levels of ArgAH1 and ArgAH2 were also found to response to different nitrogen sources (e.g. NH 4 Cl, urea, arginine), different expression pattern are shown in both the roots and cotyledons under these treatment conditions. These results suggest that two arginase genes have different biological function in response to abiotic stresses in plants.