Selenium nanoparticles induced variations in growth, morphology, anatomy, biochemistry, gene expression, and epigenetic DNA methylation in Capsicum annuum; an in vitro study.

This study aimed to explore whether supplementation of the culture medium with selenium nanoparticles (nSe) can influence growth, biochemistry, expression of transcription factors, and epigenetic DNA methylation in Capsicum annuum. The seeds were grown in hormone-free MS culture medium supplemented with nSe (0, 0.5, 1, 10, and 30 mgL) or corresponding doses of bulk type selenate (BSe). Incorporation of nSe into the medium caused variations in morphology and growth in a manner dependent on the dose and Se type. The low doses of nSe displayed growth-promoting effects, whereas nSe at 10 and 30 mgL were associated with severe toxicity and abnormality in leaf and root development. MSAP analysis confirmed the substantial variation in cytosine DNA methylation in response to the toxic dose of nSe exhibiting epigenetic modification. The nSe toxicity was associated with DNA hyper-methylations. The nSe treatments transcriptionally upregulated the bZIP1 transcription factor by an average of 3.5 folds. With a similar trend, the upregulation (mean = 9.8 folds) in the expression of the WRKY1 transcription factor resulted from the nSe application. The nSe0.5 or nSe1 treatments resulted in a significant induction (mean = 48%) in nitrate reductase activity. A high dose of nSe led to an increase in proline concentration. The nSe treatments were also associated with modifications in activities of peroxidase and catalase enzymes. Besides, the nSe utilization increased the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase enzyme (mean = 76%) and concentrations of soluble phenols (mean = 51%). The toxic dose of nSe also caused abnormalities in the structure of the stem apical meristem. The nSe toxicity was also associated with inhibition in the differentiation of xylem tissues. These findings provide novel insights into the nSe-associated molecular variations in conferring the modified growth, anatomy, and metabolism.