Transcriptomic profiling of Arabidopsis exposed to E-2-hexenal

Plants are known to be responsive to volatiles, but knowledge about the molecular players involved in transducing their perception remain scarce. Here the response of Arabidopsis thaliana to E-2-hexenal, one of the green leaf volatiles that are produced upon wounding, herbivory or infection with pathogens is studied. We have taken a transcriptomics approach to identify genes that are induced by E-2-hexenal but not by defense hormones. In three independent biological experiments, Arabidopsis plants, ecotype Columbia (Col-0), were exposed either to 3 µM aerial E-2-hexenal or to the carrier MeOH for the mock treatment and rosette leaves were harvested after 1h, 3h and 24h.