Changes in Arabidopsis thaliana gene expression in response to selenite and seleno-L-methionine

Abstract

The present study investigated the effects of exogenously supplemented selenite and seleno-l-methionine (SeM) on variations in gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana. After cultivation at 25°C for 4 weeks with 1 ppm selenite and SeM, growth parameters and selenium contents were measured and the expression of A. thaliana genes was comprehensively analyzed using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) technology. The fresh weight of plants was approximately 60% lower following the exposure to 1.0 ppm of selenite and SeM. RNA-seq showed that gene ontology terms related to response to chitin, response to water deprivation, response to wounding, plant-type cell wall loosening, transcription, and DNA-templated were enriched between the selenite and SeM groups. Furthermore, plant hormone signal transduction, plant-pathogen interaction, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, beta-alanine metabolism, and ascorbate and aldarate metabolism were confirmed between the selenite and SeM groups by a pathway analysis. The expression levels of methionine gamma-lyase, which is involved in the metabolism of selenocompounds, significantly differed between the experimental groups. These results provide insights into the genetic and biochemical mechanisms underlying the effects of exogenously supplemented selenite and SeM on A. thaliana.