Transcriptomic evaluation of the enhanced plant growth-inhibitory activity caused by derivatization of <i>cis</i>-cinnamic acid

Abstract

To establish a rapid high-throughput evaluation system for the enhanced plant growth-inhibitory activity caused by modifications of cis-cinnamic acid's (cis-CA's) chemical structure, a DNA microarray assay was used to analyze the changes in early gene responses of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. After a 6-hr exposure to (Z)-3-(3-iodophenyl)acrylic acid, we observed an upregulation in three classes of early auxin-responsive genes, which was similar to the transcriptional response to indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), together with an upregulation of the genes related to environmental stress and toxin detoxification responses. Gene responses to 2-(3,4-dihydronaphthalen-1-yl)acetic acid were similar to those to IAA. In contrast, fewer genes were upregulated in response to its double-bond isomer, (Z)-2-[3,4-dihydronaphthalen-1(2H)-ylidene]acetic acid, than to cis-CA. DNA microarray data suggest that the structurally different cis-CA analogues trigger diverse gene responses.

Transcriptomic Evaluation of Plant Growth Inhibitory Activity of Goniothalamin from the Malaysian Medicinal Plant Goniothalamus andersonii

“…DNA microarray analysis is an effective tool to investigate the global gene response of model plants. It has been used to monitor changes in the level of transcripts in response to either allelochemical [5a-c] or allelochemical-derivative stresses [6] on a whole-genome scale. In the present study, we examined the early response of the Arabidopsis genes by DNA microarray analysis after exogenous treatment with goniothalamin.…”