Dataset Information

Comparative transcriptomic analysis reveals gene expression associated with cold adaptation in the tea plant Camellia sinensis.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Low temperature restricts the planting range of all crops, but cold acclimation induces adaption to cold stress in many plants. Camellia sinensis, a perennial evergreen tree that is the source of tea, is mainly grown in warm areas. Camellia sinensis var. sinensis (CSS) has greater cold tolerance than Camellia sinensis var. assamica (CSA). To gain deep insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying cold adaptation, we investigated the physiological responses and transcriptome profiles by RNA-Seq in two tea varieties, cold resistant SCZ (classified as CSS) and cold susceptible YH9 (classified as CSA), during cold acclimation. RESULTS:Under freezing stress, lower relative electrical conductivity and higher chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) values were detected in SCZ than in YH9 when subjected to freezing acclimation. During cold treatment, 6072 and 7749 DEGs were observed for SCZ and YH9, respectively. A total of 978 DEGs were common for both SCZ and YH9 during the entire cold acclimation process. DEGs were enriched in pathways of photosynthesis, hormone signal transduction, and transcriptional regulation of plant-pathogen interactions. Further analyses indicated that decreased expression of Lhca2 and higher expression of SnRK2.8 are correlated with cold tolerance in SCZ. CONCLUSIONS:Compared with CSA, CSS was significantly more resistant to freezing after cold acclimation, and this increased resistance was associated with an earlier expression of cold-induced genes. Because the greater transcriptional differentiation during cold acclimation in SCZ may contribute to its greater cold tolerance, our studies identify specific genes involved in photoinhibition, ABA signal conduction, and plant immunity that should be studied for understanding the processes involved in cold tolerance. Marker-assisted breeding focused on the allelic variation at these loci provides an avenue for the possible generation of CSA cultivars that have CSS-level cold tolerance.

SUBMITTER: Li Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6670155 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Comparative transcriptomic analysis reveals gene expression associated with cold adaptation in the tea plant Camellia sinensis.

Li Yeyun Y Wang Xuewen X Ban Qiuyan Q Zhu Xiangxiang X Jiang Changjun C Wei Chaoling C Bennetzen Jeffrey L JL

BMC genomics 20190731 1

<h4>Background</h4>Low temperature restricts the planting range of all crops, but cold acclimation induces adaption to cold stress in many plants. Camellia sinensis, a perennial evergreen tree that is the source of tea, is mainly grown in warm areas. Camellia sinensis var. sinensis (CSS) has greater cold tolerance than Camellia sinensis var. assamica (CSA). To gain deep insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying cold adaptation, we investigated the physiological responses and transcriptome ...[more]

PMID: 31366321

Similar Datasets

Project description:Cold and drought are two of the most severe threats affecting the growth and productivity of the tea plant, limiting its global spread. Both stresses cause osmotic changes in the cells of the tea plant by decreasing their water potential. To develop cultivars that are tolerant to both stresses, it is essential to understand the genetic responses of tea plant to these two stresses, particularly in terms of the genes involved. In this study, we combined literature data with interspecific transcriptomic analyses (using Arabidopsis thaliana and Solanum lycopersicum) to choose genes related to cold tolerance. We identified 45 stress-inducible candidate genes associated with cold and drought responses in tea plants based on a comprehensive homologous detection method. Of these, nine were newly characterized by us, and 36 had previously been reported. The gene network analysis revealed upregulated expression in ICE1-related cluster of bHLH factors, HSP70/BAM5 connected genes (hexokinases, galactinol synthases, SnRK complex, etc.) indicating their possible co-expression. Using qRT-PCR we revealed that 10 genes were significantly upregulated in response to both cold and drought in tea plant: HSP70, GST, SUS1, DHN1, BMY5, bHLH102, GR-RBP3, ICE1, GOLS1, and GOLS3. SnRK1.2, HXK1/2, bHLH7/43/79/93 were specifically upregulated in cold, while RHL41, CAU1, Hydrolase22 were specifically upregulated in drought. Interestingly, the expression of CIP was higher in the recovery stage of both stresses, indicating its potentially important role in plant recovery after stress. In addition, some genes, such as DHN3, bHLH79, PEI54, SnRK1.2, SnRK1.3, and Hydrolase22, were significantly positively correlated between the cold and drought responses. CBF1, GOLS1, HXK2, and HXK3, by contrast, showed significantly negative correlations between the cold and drought responses. Our results provide valuable information and robust candidate genes for future functional analyses intended to improve the stress tolerance of the tea plant and other species.

Dataset Information

Comparative transcriptomic analysis reveals gene expression associated with cold adaptation in the tea plant Camellia sinensis.

Publications

Comparative transcriptomic analysis reveals gene expression associated with cold adaptation in the tea plant Camellia sinensis.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets