Comprehensive analysis and transcript profiling of Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa catalase gene family suggests their specific roles in development and stress responses

Stress induces the generation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) that ultimately hampers the growth, development, and productivity of the plant. As an antioxidant enzyme, catalase converts hydrogen peroxide to water and keeps ROS level down to protect cells from stress-induced apoptosis. Here, a genome-wide analysis of catalase gene family has been performed in two model plants- Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa. Both Arabidopsis and rice has a small family of three and four genes, respectively; that code for seven proteins each. Detailed analysis of these members in terms of their structure, duplication, chromosomal position and proteins subcellular localization, as well as expression profiling under various developmental and environmental cues, was performed. Catalase proteins were mostly found to be localized in the cytoplasm, followed by peroxisome and mitochondria. Phylogenetically plant catalases showed strong divergence from their non-plant counterparts. Expression profiling revealed that AtCAT3 and OsCATA are the constitutively expressive member; while AtCAT2, OsCATA, and OsCATC are the stress-responsive members. Moreover, an altered level of total rice catalase enzyme activity and H2O2 level was observed under various abiotic stress conditions. This indicates the stress-responsive transcriptome as well as proteome alteration of catalase in the plant.