Stress and Signalling in Arabidopsis in Response to the Pollutant 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT)
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Stress and signalling in Arabidopsis in response to the pollutant 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) Emily Jane Johnston Doctor of Philosophy University of York Biology September 2015 Abstract The explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a persistent and toxic pollutant. High levels of TNT and the water-mobile co-pollutant Royal Demolition Explosive (RDX) have accumulated at manufacturing waste sites and military training ranges. Due to the scale of these sites, phytoremediation could be the most cost-effective and environmentally-friendly means of cleaning up the pollution. Plant lines which are both tolerant to, and able to degrade explosives pollution, are therefore being developed. Prior to this PhD research, it was identified that Arabidopsis thaliana L. (Arabidopsis) plants deficient in MONODEHYDROASCORBATE REDUCTASE 6 (MDHAR6; At1g63940) have hugely enhanced TNT tolerance. In Chapter 3, the means behind this enhanced TNT tolerance is investigated. Enzymatic analysis identified that purified MDHAR6 reduces TNT by one electron, to a TNT nitro radical which autoxidises, generating superoxide. Reactive superoxide can oxidise and damage protein, DNA and lipids. This reaction could also be inhibitory to plant development, due to the futile use of NADH. In Chapter 4, the organelle-targeting of MDHAR6 is investigated; MDHAR6 is unusual in that dual targeting to mitochondria or plastids appears to be dependent on the transcription start site used. A further understanding of MDHAR6 location would provide useful insight as to the endogenous role of this enzyme. Preliminary experiments indicate that MDHAR6 is more highly expressed in roots than leaves, and that a previously undescribed third transcription start site is dominant, encoding plastid-targeted MDHAR6. The induction of detoxification genes following TNT treatment is explored in Chapter 5; the profile of detoxification genes induced following TNT treatment is similar to that following phytoprostane treatment, which requires class II TGACG-binding (TGA) factors. It is identified that induction of detoxification genes following TNT treatment also requires class II TGA factors, but the induction is not mediated by phytoprostanes. i Table of contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... i Table of contents ........................................................................................................................... ii List of figures ............................................................................................................................... viii List of tables .................................................................................................................................. xi Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... xii Author’s declaration ................................................................................................................... xiii 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 The explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) ..................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Chemical properties .............................................................................................. 1 1.1.2 History ................................................................................................................... 2 1.1.3 Detrimental effects ............................................................................................... 3 1.2 Explosives pollution ...................................................................................................... 4 1.2.1 Co-pollutants with TNT ......................................................................................... 4 1.2.2 Lifetime health advisory limits .............................................................................. 6 1.2.3 Sites of contamination .......................................................................................... 7 1.3 Remediation of TNT from polluted sites ..................................................................... 10 1.3.1 Ex situ granular activated carbon treatment of groundwater and wastewater . 10 1.3.2 In situ bioremediation in groundwater ............................................................... 10 1.3.3 Ex situ incineration of soil ................................................................................... 11 1.3.4 Ex situ composting of soil .................................................................................... 11 1.3.5 In situ landfarming of soil .................................................................................... 11 1.3.6 In situ phytoremediation from soil and groundwater ........................................ 11 1.4 Detoxification in plants ............................................................................................... 13 1.4.1 The process of detoxification in plants ............................................................... 13 1.4.2 Arabidopsis detoxification genes induced by TNT treatment ............................ 14 1.4.3 Detoxification of TNT in Arabidopsis .................................................................. 16 1.5 Regulation of detoxification genes in plants............................................................... 20 ii 1.5.1 Xenobiotic-response signalling in animal biology ............................................... 20 1.5.2 Defence signalling in plants ................................................................................ 21 1.5.3 Focus on TGA factors .......................................................................................... 31 1.5.4 Studies specifically on plant detoxification gene regulation .............................. 37 1.6 Thesis objectives ......................................................................................................... 40 2 Materials and methods ....................................................................................................... 41 2.1 Materials and Methods ............................................................................................... 41 2.1.1 Plant material ...................................................................................................... 41 2.1.2 Plant growth conditions ...................................................................................... 41 2.1.3 Source of TNT ...................................................................................................... 43 2.1.4 Growth of plants on TNT-treated soil ................................................................. 43 2.1.5 Recovery of TNT from soil ................................................................................... 43 2.1.6 High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) ............................................. 44 2.1.7 Root length analysis ............................................................................................ 44 2.1.8 Ascorbate measurement ..................................................................................... 44 2.1.9 Glutathione measurement .................................................................................. 45 2.1.10 Plant protein extraction and analysis of extract activity .................................... 45 2.1.11 Production of MDHAR6 in Escherichia coli ......................................................... 46 2.1.12 Purification of Strep-tagged MDHAR6 ................................................................ 47 2.1.13 SDS-PAGE electrophoresis .................................................................................. 47 2.1.14 Western blot against HIS-tag .............................................................................. 47 2.1.15 Protein identification following Strep-MDHAR6 purification ............................. 48 2.1.16 Michaelis-Menten plots for MDHAR6 activity towards MDA, TNT and CDNB ... 48 2.1.17 Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectrometry ............................................... 48 2.1.18 Staining with 3,3’diaminobenzene...................................................................... 49 2.1.19 Genomic DNA (gDNA) extraction ........................................................................ 49 2.1.20 Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ........................................................................ 49 2.1.21 DNA sequencing .................................................................................................. 49 2.1.22 RNA extraction and cDNA preparation ............................................................... 49 iii 2.1.23 Quantitative PCR ................................................................................................. 49 2.1.24 Treatment of root and leaf tissue with antimycin A, TNT or methyl viologen for MDHAR6 transcription start site study ............................................................................... 50 2.1.25 Antibody raised against MDHAR6 ....................................................................... 50 2.1.26 Western blot using antibody raised against MDHAR6 ........................................ 50 2.1.27 Cloning of promoter:GUS contructs .................................................................... 51 2.1.28 Stable transformation of Arabidopsis