title: A transcriptomic analysis of bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) provides novel insights into the basis of low temperature tolerance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cold stress is regarded as a key factor limiting widespread use for bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon). Therefore, to improve cold tolerance for bermudagrass, it is urgent to understand molecular mechanisms of bermudagrass response to cold stress. However, our knowledge about the molecular responses of this species to cold stress is largely unknown. The objective of this study was to characterize the transcriptomic response to low temperature in bermudagrass by using RNA-Seq platform.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten cDNA libraries were generated from RNA samples of leaves from five different treatments in the cold-resistant (R) and the cold-sensitive (S) genotypes, including 4 °C cold acclimation (CA) for 24 h and 48 h, freezing (-5 °C) treatments for 4 h with or without prior CA, and controls. When subjected to cold acclimation, global gene expressions were initiated more quickly in the R genotype than those in the S genotype. The R genotype activated gene expression more effectively in response to freezing temperature after 48 h CA than the S genotype. The differentially expressed genes were identified as low temperature sensing and signaling-related genes, functional proteins and transcription factors, many of which were specifically or predominantly expressed in the R genotype under cold treatments, implying that these genes play important roles in the enhanced cold hardiness of bermudagrass. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis for DEGs revealed that photosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism and carbon fixation pathways play key roles in bermudagrass response to cold stress.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study may contribute to our understanding the molecular mechanism underlying the responses of bermudagrass to cold stress, and also provide important clues for further study and in-depth characterization of cold-resistance breeding candidate genes in bermudagrass.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China. chenliang888@wbgcas.cn.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China. jaybill@126.com.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China. jaybill@126.com.
authors.forename: Jibiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China. hulx@wbgcas.cn.
authors.forename: Longxing
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China. huzhengrong1001@163.com.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China. huzhengrong1001@163.com.
authors.forename: Zhengrong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China. xieyan60b@126.com.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China. xieyan60b@126.com.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China. zhangyingzi1005@163.com.
authors.forename: Yingzi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China. yanhonglou@wbgcas.cn.
authors.forename: Yanhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, 31905, Israel. nevo@research.haifa.ac.il.
authors.forename: Eviatar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nevo
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China. jfu@wbgcas.cn.
authors.forename: Jinmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fu
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D003080:Cold Temperature; D031744:Cynodon / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D005838:Genotype; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000502:physiology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins