Integrated transcriptome and small RNA sequencing analyses reveal a drought stress response network in Sophora tonkinensis

BMC Plant Biology

Mingjie Li¹  Li Gu¹  Ying Liang²  Zhongyi Zhang³  Chuanhua Deng⁴  Shuangshuang Qin⁵  Fan Wei⁵  Guili Wei⁵  Jianhua Miao⁵  Yang Lin⁵  Kunhua Wei⁵ 

[1] College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shangxiadian Road, Cangshan District, 350002, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China;College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shangxiadian Road, Cangshan District, 350002, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China;Guangxi key Laboratory of Medicinal Resources Protection and Genetic Improvement, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, No. 189 Changgang Road, Xingning District, 530023, Nanning, People’s Republic of China;Guangxi Engineering Research Center of TCM Resource Intelligent Creation, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, 530023, Nanning, China;College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shangxiadian Road, Cangshan District, 350002, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China;Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Comprehensive Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002, Fuzhou, China;Guangxi Forest Inventory and Planning Institute, 530011, Nanning, China;Guangxi key Laboratory of Medicinal Resources Protection and Genetic Improvement, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, No. 189 Changgang Road, Xingning District, 530023, Nanning, People’s Republic of China;Guangxi Engineering Research Center of TCM Resource Intelligent Creation, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, 530023, Nanning, China;

关键词: Sophora tonkinensis;    Drought stress;    mRNA;    miRNA;    Next-generation sequencing;    Transcription factor;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12870-021-03334-6

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSophora tonkinensis Gagnep is a traditional Chinese medical plant that is mainly cultivated in southern China. Drought stress is one of the major abiotic stresses that negatively impacts S. tonkinensis growth. However, the molecular mechanisms governing the responses to drought stress in S. tonkinensis at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels are not well understood.ResultsTo identify genes and miRNAs involved in drought stress responses in S. tonkinensis, both mRNA and small RNA sequencing was performed in root samples under control, mild drought, and severe drought conditions. mRNA sequencing revealed 66,476 unigenes, and the differentially expressed unigenes (DEGs) were associated with several key pathways, including phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, sugar metabolism, and quinolizidine alkaloid biosynthesis pathways. A total of 10 and 30 transcription factors (TFs) were identified among the DEGs under mild and severe drought stress, respectively. Moreover, small RNA sequencing revealed a total of 368 miRNAs, including 255 known miRNAs and 113 novel miRNAs. The differentially expressed miRNAs and their target genes were involved in the regulation of plant hormone signal transduction, the spliceosome, and ribosomes. Analysis of the regulatory network involved in the response to drought stress revealed 37 differentially expressed miRNA-mRNA pairs.ConclusionThis is the first study to simultaneously profile the expression patterns of mRNAs and miRNAs on a genome-wide scale to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the drought stress responses of S. tonkinensis. Our results suggest that S. tonkinensis implements diverse mechanisms to modulate its responses to drought stress.

【 授权许可】

CC BY