Accumulation of the coumarin scopolin under abiotic stress conditions is mediated by the Arabidopsis thaliana THO/TREX complex

Secondary metabolites are involved in the plant stress response. Among these are scopolin and its active form scopoletin, which are coumarin derivatives associated with reactive oxygen species scavenging and pathogen defence. Here we show that in Arabidopsis thaliana, scopolin accumulation can be induced in the root by osmotic stress and in the leaf by low temperature stress. A genetic screen for altered scopolin levels in Arabidopsis thaliana identified a mutant compromised for scopolin accumulation in response to stress; the lesion was present in a homologue of THO1, the product of which contributes to the THO/TREX complex. The THO/TREX complex contributes to RNA silencing, supposedly by trafficking precursors of small RNAs. Mutants carrying defective THO and RDR6 genes were impaired with respect to scopolin accumulation in response to stress, suggesting a mechanism based on RNA silencing like the transacting small interfering RNA pathway which requires THO/TREX and RDR6 function.