Genome-wide expression and variation in nucleotide sequences lead to differential response of Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes towards arsenic stress under sulphur limiting condition

Abiotic stresses such as heavy metals and nutrient imbalance constitute a significant threat to plant productivity. Among the known heavy metals, arsenic (As) toxicity has widely affected plants and animals. In the recent past, various approaches have been used to study and ameliorate As accumulation in the plants. Out of different approaches, the detoxification mechanism utilizes various sulphur related compounds; therefore, the limitation of sulphur leads to enhanced toxicity in plants. Though studies suggest links between As and sulphur responses, a deeper understanding about the molecular mechanisms of these responses is required. In this study, transcriptome analysis of the Arabidopsis accessions (Koz2-2 and Ri-0) with contrasting responses towards sulphate limitation and arsenic stress was carried out to identify genes involved in regulating various processes. Several genes associated with growth and development, stress or sulphate metabolism and secondary plant product biosynthesis were found to be differentially expressed in contrasting accessions under sulphate limitation and arsenic stress.