Proteomic analysis of glutathione S-transferases of Arabidopsis thaliana reveals differential salicylic acid-induced expression of the plant-specific phi and tau classes

Plant glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a large group of multifunctional proteins that are induced by diverse stimuli. Using proteomic approaches we identified 20 GSTs at the protein level in Arabidopsis cell culture with a combination of GST antibody detection, LC-MS/MS analysis of 23 - 30 kDa proteins and glutathione-affinity chromatography. GSTs identified were from phi, tau, theta, zeta and DHAR subsections of the GST superfamily of 53 members. We have uncovered preliminary evidence for posttranslational modi. cations of plant GSTs and show that phosphorylation is unlikely to be responsible. Detailed analysis of GST expression in response to treatment with 0.01 - 1 mM of the plant defence signal salicylic acid ( SA) uncovered some interesting features. Firstly, GSTs appear to display class-specific concentration-dependent SA induction profiles highlighting differences between the large, plant specific phi and tau classes. Secondly, different members of the same class, while sharing similar SA dose responses, may display differences in terms of magnitude and timing of induction, further highlighting the breadth of GST gene regulation. Thirdly, closely related members of the same class (GSTF6 and GSTF7), arising via tandem duplication, may be regulated differently in terms of basal expression levels and also magnitude of induction raising questions about the role of subfunctionalisation within this family. Our results reveal that GSTs exhibit class specific responses to SA treatment suggesting that several mechanisms are acting to induce GSTs upon SA treatment and hinting at class-specific functions for this large and important, yet still relatively elusive gene family.