Transcriptome changes in rice (Oryza sativa L.) in response to high night temperature stress at the early milky stage.
BACKGROUND
Rice yield and quality are adversely affected by high temperatures, especially at night; high nighttime temperatures are more harmful to grain weight than high daytime temperatures. Unfortunately, global temperatures are consistently increasing at an alarming rate and the minimum nighttime temperature has increased three times as much as the corresponding maximum daytime temperature over the past few decades.


RESULTS
We analyzed the transcriptome profiles for rice grain from heat-tolerant and -sensitive lines in response to high night temperatures at the early milky stage using the Illumina Sequencing method. The analysis results for the sequencing data indicated that 35 transcripts showed different expressions between heat-tolerant and -sensitive rice, and RT-qPCR analyses confirmed the expression patterns of selected transcripts. Functional analysis of the differentially expressed transcripts indicated that 21 genes have functional annotation and their functions are mainly involved in oxidation-reduction (6 genes), metabolic (7 genes), transport (4 genes), transcript regulation (2 genes), defense response (1 gene) and photosynthetic (1 gene) processes. Based on the functional annotation of the differentially expressed genes, the possible process that regulates these differentially expressed transcripts in rice grain responding to high night temperature stress at the early milky stage was further analyzed. This analysis indicated that high night temperature stress disrupts electron transport in the mitochondria, which leads to changes in the concentration of hydrogen ions in the mitochondrial and cellular matrix and influences the activity of enzymes involved in TCA and its secondary metabolism in plant cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Using Illumina sequencing technology, the differences between the transcriptomes of heat-tolerant and -sensitive rice lines in response to high night temperature stress at the early milky stage was described here for the first time. The candidate transcripts may provide genetic resources that may be useful in the improvement of heat-tolerant characters of rice. The model proposed here is based on differences in expression and transcription between two rice lines. In addition, the model may support future studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to high night temperatures.
Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology, Ecology and Genetic Breeding (Jiangxi Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Province, 330045, China. jlliao514815@163.com.|Key Laboratory of Agriculture responding to Climate Change (Jiangxi Agricultural University), Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, 330045, China. jlliao514815@163.com.
Jiang-Lin
JL
Liao
Key Laboratory of Agriculture responding to Climate Change (Jiangxi Agricultural University), Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, 330045, China. zhouhuiwen0320@126.com.
Hui-Wen
HW
Zhou
Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology, Ecology and Genetic Breeding (Jiangxi Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Province, 330045, China. pengq231@163.com.
Qi
Q
Peng
Key Laboratory of Agriculture responding to Climate Change (Jiangxi Agricultural University), Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, 330045, China. Zpa778210@163.com.
Ping-An
PA
Zhong
Key Laboratory of Agriculture responding to Climate Change (Jiangxi Agricultural University), Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, 330045, China. jnzhanghy@126.com.
Hong-Yu
HY
Zhang
Key Laboratory of Agriculture responding to Climate Change (Jiangxi Agricultural University), Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, 330045, China. hechao7021@163.com.
Chao
C
He
Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology, Ecology and Genetic Breeding (Jiangxi Agricultural University), Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Province, 330045, China. yjhuang_cn@126.com.|Key Laboratory of Agriculture responding to Climate Change (Jiangxi Agricultural University), Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, 330045, China. yjhuang_cn@126.com.
Ying-Jin
YJ
Huang
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*; D013696:Temperature; D059467:Transcriptome
D000596:Amino Acids; D010940:Plant Proteins; D018749:RNA, Plant