Quantitative trait loci mapping and transcriptome analysis reveal candidate genes regulating the response to ozone in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

As multifaceted molecules, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are known to accumulate in response to various stresses. Ozone (O3 ) is an air pollutant with detrimental effect on plants and O3 can also be used as a tool to study the role of ROS in signalling. Genetic variation of O3 sensitivity in different Arabidopsis accessions highlights the complex genetic architecture of plant responses to ROS. To investigate the genetic basis of O3 sensitivity, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population between two Arabidopsis accessions with distinct O3 sensitivity, C24 (O3 tolerant) and Te (O3 sensitive) was used for quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping. Through analysis of QTL mapping combined with transcriptome changes in response to O3 , we identified three causal QTLs and several potential candidate genes regulating the response to O3 . Based on gene expression data, water loss and stomatal conductance measurement, we found that a combination of relatively low stomatal conductance and constitutive activation of salicylic acid (SA)-mediated defence signalling were responsible for the O3 tolerance in C24. Application of exogenous SA prior to O3 exposure can mimic the constitutive SA signalling in C24 and could attenuate O3 -induced leaf damage in the sensitive Arabidopsis accessions Te and Cvi-0.

Keywords: QTL mapping; cell death; salicylic acid; stomatal conductance.