Transcriptomic Analysis of the Regulation of Rhizome Formation in Temperate and Tropical Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera).
Rhizome is the storage organ of lotus derived from modified stems. The development of rhizome is a complex process and depends on the balanced expression of the genes that is controlled by environmental and endogenous factors. However, little is known about the mechanism that regulates rhizome girth enlargement. In this study, using RNA-seq, transcriptomic analyses were performed at three rhizome developmental stages-the stolon, middle swelling and later swelling stage -in the cultivars 'ZO' (temperate lotus with enlarged rhizome) and 'RL' (tropical lotus with stolon). About 348 million high-quality reads were generated, and 88.5% of the data were mapped to the reference genome. Of 26783 genes identified, 24069 genes were previously predicted in the reference, and 2714 genes were novel transcripts. Moreover, 8821 genes were differentially expressed between the cultivars at the three stages. Functional analysis identified that these genes were significantly enriched in pathways carbohydrate metabolism and plant hormone signal transduction. Twenty-two genes involved in photoperiod pathway, starch metabolism and hormone signal transduction were candidate genes inducing rhizome girth enlargement. Comparative transcriptomic analysis detected several differentially expressed genes and potential candidate genes required for rhizome girth enlargement, which lay a foundation for future studies on molecular mechanisms underlying rhizome formation.
Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Speciality Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China.
Mei
M
Yang
1] Key Laboratory of Aquatic Plant and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China [2] University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Lingping
L
Zhu
Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Speciality Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China.
Cheng
C
Pan
Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Speciality Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China.
Liming
L
Xu
Key Laboratory of Aquatic Plant and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China.
Yanling
Y
Liu
National Garden of Aquatic Vegetable, Wuhan Institute of Vegetable Science, Wuhan 430065, Hubei, China.
Weidong
W
Ke
Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Speciality Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China.
Pingfang
P
Yang
D031653:Nelumbo / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D027343:Rhizome / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D059467:Transcriptome
D010940:Plant Proteins; D018749:RNA, Plant; D014157:Transcription Factors