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Identification and characterization of selenate- and selenite-responsive genes in a Se-hyperaccumulator Astragalus racemosus

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Abstract

Plants with capacity to accumulate high levels of selenium (Se) are desired for phytoremediation and biofortification. Plants of genus Astragalus accumulate and tolerate high levels of Se, but their slow growth, low biomass and non-edible properties limit their direct utilization. Genetic engineering may be an alternative way to produce edible or high biomass Se-accumulating plants. The first step towards this goal is to isolate genes that are responsible for Se accumulation and tolerance. Later, these genes can be introduced into other edible and high biomass plants. In the present study, we applied fluorescent differential display to analyze the transcript profile of Se-hyperaccumulator A. racemosus treated with 20 μM selenate (K2SeO4) for 2 weeks. Among 125 identified Se-responsive candidate genes, the expression levels of nine were induced or suppressed more than twofold by selenate treatment in two independent experiments while 14 showed such changes when treated with selenite (K2SeO3). Six of them were found to respond to both selenate and selenite treatments. A novel gene CEJ367 was found to be highly induced by both selenate (1,920-fold) and selenite (579-fold). Root- or shoot-preferential expression of nine genes was further investigated. These identified genes may allow us to create Se-enriched transgenic plants.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Ms. Kimberly Hutchison and Dr. Wayne P. Robarge of the Analytical Laboratory Service at North Carolina State University for analyzing Se contents. Special thanks to Dr. Ying-Hsuan Sun of North Carolina State University for help with sequence analysis. This work was supported by a United States Department of Agriculture—Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service grant (2009-35318-05032), a Biotechnology Research Grant (2007-BRG-1223) from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, and a startup fund from the Golden LEAF Foundation to the Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise (BRITE).

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  1. Bronwyn M. Holliday

    Present address: GrassRoots Biotechnology, Durham, NC, 27701, USA

  2. Ruchi Yadav

    Present address: Department of Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute & Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, 27707, USA

    Chiu-Yueh Hung, Bronwyn M. Holliday, Harvinder Kaur, Ruchi Yadav, Farooqahmed S. Kittur & Jiahua Xie

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  1. Chiu-Yueh Hung
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Correspondence to Jiahua Xie.

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Hung, CY., Holliday, B.M., Kaur, H. et al. Identification and characterization of selenate- and selenite-responsive genes in a Se-hyperaccumulator Astragalus racemosus . Mol Biol Rep 39, 7635–7646 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-012-1598-8

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