RNAseq data from Arabidopsis and BC204 treatment

BC204 is a citrus-based plant extract applied as a plant biostimulant on a variety of plant species in South Africa, China and Australia. Although there are reports that it elicits physiological responses such as an increase in crop yield and fruit quality, no molecular data is available to explain the specific mechanisms associated with these effects. In this study, an RNA-seq approach was adopted to elucidate the effects of BC204 at the molecular level in Arabidopsis thaliana. BC204, applied via a soil drench at low concentrations of 0.01% (v/v), stimulated above-ground biomass production whilst eliciting a large change in gene expression levels across several biochemical pathways. Of the entire transcriptomic profile examined, 8.212% of genes were significantly differentially expressed between the treated and control groups, of which 5.136% were upregulated and 3.076% downregulated. Most notably, genes involved in photosynthesis, several aspects of cell wall biogenesis, remodelling and restructuring, carbohydrate metabolism, signalling, stress and secondary metabolism were upregulated, which could explain the observed increase in plant growth. Genes related to transcription and RNA regulation were both strongly up- and downregulated, which suggests that BC204 plays a role in inducing and suppressing several pathways. This novel study provides valuable information to be used as starting point for targeted future research.

BC204，一种基于柑橘植物的提取物，作为植物生物刺激剂应用于南非、中国和澳大利亚的多种植物物种。尽管有报告称其能够引起诸如作物产量和果实品质提升等生理反应，但尚未有分子数据可用于解释这些效应的具体作用机制。在本研究中，采用RNA测序技术以阐明BC204在拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）分子层面的作用。BC204以0.01%（体积比）的低浓度通过土壤浸渍法施用，可刺激地上生物量的生产，同时引发多个生化途径中基因表达水平的显著变化。在所考察的整个转录组特征中，8.212%的基因在处理组和对照组之间存在显著差异表达，其中5.136%的基因表达上调，3.076%的基因表达下调。尤为值得注意的是，参与光合作用、细胞壁生物发生、重塑与重构、碳水化合物代谢、信号传导、胁迫和次生代谢的基因表达上调，这或许可以解释所观察到的植物生长增加。与转录和RNA调控相关的基因既显著上调又下调，这表明BC204在诱导和抑制多个途径中发挥着作用。这项新颖的研究为未来有针对性的研究提供了宝贵的起点信息。