Involvement of BGLU30 in Glucosinolate Catabolism in the Arabidopsis Leaf under Dark Conditions

Abstract

Glucosinolates (GSLs) are secondary metabolites that play important roles in plant defense and are suggested to act as storage compounds. Despite their important roles, metabolic dynamics of GSLs under various growth conditions remain poorly understood. To determine how light conditions influence the levels of different GSLs and their distribution in Arabidopsis leaves, we visualized the GSLs under different light conditions using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging. We observed the unique distribution patterns of each GSL in the inner regions of leaves and marked decreases under darkness, indicating light conditions influenced GSL metabolism. GSLs are hydrolyzed by a group of ß-glucosidase (BGLU) called myrosinase. Previous transcriptome data for GSL metabolism under light and dark conditions have revealed the highly induced expression of BGLU30, one of the putative myrosinases, which is also annotated as Dark INducible2, under darkness. Impairment of the darkness-induced GSL decrease in the disruption mutants of BGLU30, bglu30, indicated that BGLU30 mediated GSL hydrolysis under darkness. Based on the GSL profiles in the wild-type and bglu30 leaves under both conditions, short-chain GSLs were potentially preferable substrates for BGLU30. Our findings provide an effective way of visualizing GSL distribution in plants and highlighted the carbon storage GSL function.

Keywords: Arabidopsis thaliana; Darkness; Glucosinolate catabolism; Glucosinolates; Mass spectrometry imaging; ß-Glucosidases.