title: Identifying genes and gene networks involved in chromium metabolism and detoxification in Crambe abyssinica.
abstract: Chromium pollution is a serious environmental problem with few cost-effective remediation strategies available. Crambe abyssinica (a member of Brassicaseae), a non-food, fast growing high biomass crop, is an ideal candidate for phytoremediation of heavy metals contaminated soils. The present study used a PCR-Select Suppression Subtraction Hybridization approach in C. abyssinica to isolate differentially expressed genes in response to Cr exposure. A total of 72 differentially expressed subtracted cDNAs were sequenced and found to represent 43 genes. The subtracted cDNAs suggest that Cr stress significantly affects pathways related to stress/defense, ion transporters, sulfur assimilation, cell signaling, protein degradation, photosynthesis and cell metabolism. The regulation of these genes in response to Cr exposure was further confirmed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Characterization of these differentially expressed genes may enable the engineering of non-food, high-biomass plants, including C. abyssinica, for phytoremediation of Cr-contaminated soils and sediments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant, Soil, and Insect Sciences, 270 Stockbridge Road, University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003, USA. asmazulfiqar08@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Asma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zulfiqar
authors.forename: Bibin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Paulose
authors.forename: Sudesh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chhikara
authors.forename: Om Parkash
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Dhankher
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002857:Chromium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D031218:Crambe Plant / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks / Q000187:drug effects; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D002857:Chromium