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Transcriptional profiling of two contrasting genotypes uncovers molecular mechanisms underlying salt tolerance in alfalfa.

ABSTRACT: Alfalfa is an important forage crop that is moderately tolerant to salinity; however, little is known about its salt-tolerance mechanisms. We studied root and leaf transcriptomes of a salt-tolerant (G03) and a salt-sensitive (G09) genotype, irrigated with waters of low and high salinities. RNA sequencing led to 1.73 billion high-quality reads that were assembled into 418,480 unigenes; 35% of which were assigned to 57 Gene Ontology annotations. The unigenes were assigned to pathway databases for understanding high-level functions. The comparison of two genotypes suggested that the low salt tolerance index for transpiration rate and stomatal conductance of G03 compared to G09 may be due to its reduced salt uptake under salinity. The differences in shoot biomass between the salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive lines were explained by their differential expressions of genes regulating shoot number. Differentially expressed genes involved in hormone-, calcium-, and redox-signaling, showed treatment- and genotype-specific differences and led to the identification of various candidate genes involved in salinity stress, which can be investigated further to improve salinity tolerance in alfalfa. Validation of RNA-seq results using qRT-PCR displayed a high level of consistency between the two experiments. This study provides valuable insight into the molecular mechanisms regulating salt tolerance in alfalfa.

SUBMITTER: Kaundal R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7933430 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Transcriptional profiling of two contrasting genotypes uncovers molecular mechanisms underlying salt tolerance in alfalfa.

Kaundal Rakesh R Duhan Naveen N Acharya Biswa R BR Pudussery Manju V MV Ferreira Jorge F S JFS Suarez Donald L DL Sandhu Devinder D

Scientific reports 20210304 1

Alfalfa is an important forage crop that is moderately tolerant to salinity; however, little is known about its salt-tolerance mechanisms. We studied root and leaf transcriptomes of a salt-tolerant (G03) and a salt-sensitive (G09) genotype, irrigated with waters of low and high salinities. RNA sequencing led to 1.73 billion high-quality reads that were assembled into 418,480 unigenes; 35% of which were assigned to 57 Gene Ontology annotations. The unigenes were assigned to pathway databases for ...[more]

PMID: 33664362

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Salinity expansion in arable land is a threat to crop plants. Rice is the staple food crop across several countries worldwide; however, its salt sensitive nature severely affects its growth under excessive salinity. FL478 is a salt tolerant indica recombinant inbred line, which can be a good source of salt tolerance at the seedling stage in rice. To learn about the genetic basis of its tolerance to salinity, we compared transcriptome profiles of FL478 and its sensitive parent (IR29) using RNA-seq technique. RESULTS:A total of 1714 and 2670 genes were found differentially expressed (DEGs) under salt stress compared to normal conditions in FL478 and IR29, respectively. Gene ontology analysis revealed the enrichment of transcripts involved in salinity response, regulation of gene expression, and transport in both genotypes. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that 1063 DEGs were co-expressed, while 338/252 and 572/908 DEGs were exclusively up/down-regulated in FL478 and IR29, respectively. Further, some biological processes (e.g. iron ion transport, response to abiotic stimulus, and oxidative stress) and molecular function terms (e.g. zinc ion binding and cation transmembrane transporter activity) were specifically enriched in FL478 up-regulated transcripts. Based on the metabolic pathways analysis, genes encoding transport and major intrinsic proteins transporter superfamily comprising aquaporin subfamilies and genes involved in MAPK signaling and signaling receptor kinases were specifically enriched in FL478. A total of 1135 and 1894 alternative splicing events were identified in transcripts of FL478 and IR29, respectively. Transcripts encoding two potassium transporters and two major facilitator family transporters were specifically up-regulated in FL478 under salt stress but not in the salt sensitive genotype. Remarkably, 11 DEGs were conversely regulated in the studied genotypes; for example, OsZIFL, OsNAAT, OsGDSL, and OsELIP genes were up-regulated in FL478, while they were down-regulated in IR29. CONCLUSIONS:The achieved results suggest that FL478 employs more efficient mechanisms (especially in signal transduction of salt stress, influx and transport of k+, ionic and osmotic homeostasis, as well as ROS inhibition) to respond to the salt stress compared to its susceptible parent.

Project description:BACKGROUND: Sorghum is an important cereal crop, which requires large quantities of nitrogen fertilizer for achieving commercial yields. Identification of the genes responsible for low-N tolerance in sorghum will facilitate understanding of the molecular mechanisms of low-N tolerance, and also facilitate the genetic improvement of sorghum through marker-assisted selection or gene transformation. In this study we compared the transcriptomes of root tissues from seven sorghum genotypes having differential response to low-N stress. RESULTS: Illumina RNA-sequencing detected several common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between four low-N tolerant sorghum genotypes (San Chi San, China17, KS78 and high-NUE bulk) and three sensitive genotypes (CK60, BTx623 and low-NUE bulk). In sensitive genotypes, N-stress increased the abundance of DEG transcripts associated with stress responses including oxidative stress and stimuli were abundant. The tolerant genotypes adapt to N deficiency by producing greater root mass for efficient uptake of nutrients. In tolerant genotypes, higher abundance of transcripts related to high affinity nitrate transporters (NRT2.2, NRT2.3, NRT2.5, and NRT2.6) and lysine histidine transporter 1 (LHT1), may suggest an improved uptake efficiency of inorganic and organic forms of nitrogen. Higher abundance of SEC14 cytosolic factor family protein transcript in tolerant genotypes could lead to increased membrane stability and tolerance to N-stress. CONCLUSIONS: Comparison of transcriptomes between N-stress tolerant and sensitive genotypes revealed several common DEG transcripts. Some of these DEGs were evaluated further by comparing the transcriptomes of genotypes grown under full N. The DEG transcripts showed higher expression in tolerant genotypes could be used for transgenic over-expression in sensitive genotypes of sorghum and related crops for increased tolerance to N-stress, which results in increased nitrogen use efficiency for sustainable agriculture.

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Transcriptional profiling of two contrasting genotypes uncovers molecular mechanisms underlying salt tolerance in alfalfa.

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Transcriptional profiling of two contrasting genotypes uncovers molecular mechanisms underlying salt tolerance in alfalfa.

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