Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Revealed Candidate Genes Potentially Related to Desiccation Sensitivity of Recalcitrant Quercus variabilis Seeds

Frontiers in Plant Science

Guowei Zhang²  Junjie Ren²  Dongxing Li³  Haiyan Yu³  Jialian Qian³  Xiaojuan Liu³  Libing Wang³  Huihui Xu³  Yingchao Li³  Lu Zhang⁴ 

[1] College of Landscape and Architecture, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou, China;Hongya Mountain State-Owned Forest Farm of Hebei, Yixian, China;State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China;Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Germplasm Innovation and Utilization for Garden Plants, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou, China;

关键词: Quercus variabilis;    recalcitrant seeds;    desiccation sensitivity;    transcriptome;    differentially expressed genes;    plant hormone signaling;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpls.2021.717563

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Chinese cork oak (Quercus variabilis) is a widely distributed and highly valuable deciduous broadleaf tree from both ecological and economic perspectives. Seeds of this species are recalcitrant, i.e., sensitive to desiccation, which affects their storage and long-term preservation of germplasm. However, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanism of desiccation sensitivity of Q. variabilis seeds. In this study, the seeds were desiccated with silica gel for certain days as different treatments from 0 (Control) to 15 days (T15) with a gradient of 1 day. According to the seed germination percentage, four key stages (Control, T2, T4, and T11) were found. Then the transcriptomic profiles of these four stages were compared. A total of 4,405, 4,441, and 5,907 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in T2 vs. Control, T4 vs. Control, and T11 vs. Control, respectively. Among them, 2,219 DEGs were overlapped in the three comparison groups. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that these DEGs were enriched into 124 pathways, such as “Plant hormone signal transduction” and “Glycerophospholipid metabolism”. DEGs related to hormone biosynthesis and signal transduction (ZEP, YUC, PYR, ABI5, ERF1B, etc.), stress response proteins (LEA D-29, HSP70, etc.), and phospholipase D (PLD1) were detected during desiccation. These genes and their interactions may determine the desiccation sensitivity of seeds. In addition, group specific DEGs were also identified in T2 vs. Control (PP2C62, UNE12, etc.), T4 vs. Control (WRKY1-like, WAK10, etc.), and T11 vs. Control (IBH1, bZIP44, etc.), respectively. Finally, a possible work model was proposed to show the molecular regulation mechanism of desiccation sensitivity in Q. variabilis seeds. This is the first report on the molecular regulation mechanism of desiccation sensitivity of Q. variabilis seeds using RNA-Seq. The findings could make a great contribution to seed storage and long-term conservation of recalcitrant seeds in the future.

【 授权许可】

Unknown