title: Early transcriptomic adaptation to Na₂CO₃ stress altered the expression of a quarter of the total genes in the maize genome and exhibited shared and distinctive profiles with NaCl and high pH stresses.
abstract: Sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) presents a huge challenge to plants by the combined damaging effects of Na⁺, high pH, and CO₃²⁻. Little is known about the cellular responses to Na₂CO₃ stress. In this study, the transcriptome of maize (Zea mays L. cv. B73) roots exposed to Na₂CO₃ stress for 5 h was compared with those of NaCl and NaOH stresses. The expression of 8,319 genes, representing over a quarter of the total number of genes in the maize genome, was altered by Na₂CO₃ stress, and the downregulated genes (5,232) outnumbered the upregulated genes (3,087). The effects of Na₂CO₃ differed from those of NaCl and NaOH, primarily by downregulating different categories of genes. Pathways commonly altered by Na₂CO₃, NaCl, and NaOH were enriched in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, as well as the metabolism of secondary metabolites. Genes for brassinosteroid biosynthesis were specifically upregulated by Na₂CO₃, while genes involved in ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum and by N-glycosylation, fatty acid biosynthesis, and the circadian rhythm were downregulated. This work provides the first holistic picture of early transcriptomic adaptation to Na₂CO₃ stress, and highlights potential molecular pathways that could be manipulated to improve tolerance in maize.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, 130124, China; Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China; The Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China.
authors.forename: Li-Min
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiang-Guo
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xin-Ning
authors.initials: XN
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Si-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dou
authors.forename: Yao-Yao
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Hai-Chun
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.forename: Dong-Yun
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Hao
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D002254:Carbonates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects*; D063990:Gene Ontology; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration / Q000187:drug effects; D036226:Seedlings / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012972:Sodium Hydroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D059467:Transcriptome / Q000235:genetics*; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D003313:Zea mays / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002254:Carbonates; D005227:Fatty Acids; D012965:Sodium Chloride; C005686:sodium carbonate; D012972:Sodium Hydroxide
keywords: Maize (Zea mays L.) roots; Na2CO3 stress; RNA-Seq; saline and alkaline stress; transcriptomic adaptation