Impact of heavy metal stresses on the growth and auxin homeostasis of Arabidopsis seedlings

The phytohormone auxin is an essential mediator in many aspects of plant development. Its dynamic and differential distribution within the plant is regulated by a variety of environmental cues including heavy metal stimuli. In the present study, we first evaluated the toxic effects of seven heavy metals including Pb2+, Cd2+, Hg2 ?, Ni2+. Zn2+, Co2+ and Cu2+ in their excess on the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. Various morphological defects including loss in fresh weight and leaf area, decrease of the primary root length and stimulation of the lateral root density occurred to a different extent among seven heavy metals. Next, using an indicative DR5:GUS reporter line of Arabidopsis, the auxin accumulation and distribution within plant seedlings were found to be dramatically and differentially affected by these heavy metals. We further analyzed the transcriptional changes of 27 selected auxin homeostasis-related genes by qRT-PCR technique and found that upon various heavy metals, the expressions of the candidate genes were distinctly altered in shoots and roots. Our data indicated that when confronted with excessive heavy metals, plants could dynamically and differentially regulate the transcription of auxin-related genes to adjust the location and effective accumulation of auxin within the plant for better adaptation and survival under the adverse environment.