title: Comparative transcriptome profiling of chilling stress responsiveness in grafted watermelon seedlings.
abstract: Rootstock grafting may improve the resistance of watermelon plants to low temperatures. However, information regarding the molecular responses of rootstock grafted plants to chilling stress is limited. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of chilling tolerance in grafted plants, the transcriptomic responses of grafted watermelon under chilling stress were analyzed using RNA-seq analysis. Sequencing data were used for digital gene expression (DGE) analysis to characterize the transcriptomic responses in grafted watermelon seedlings. A total of 702 differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) were found in rootstock grafted (RG) watermelon relative to self-grafted (SG) watermelon; among these genes, 522 genes were up-regulated and 180 were down-regulated. Additionally, 164 and 953 genes were found to specifically expressed in RG and SG seedlings under chilling stress, respectively. Functional annotations revealed that up-regulated DEGs are involved in protein processing, plant-pathogen interaction and the spliceosome, whereas down-regulated DEGs are associated with photosynthesis. Moreover, 13 DEGs were randomly selected for quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. The expression profiles of these 13 DEGs were consistent with those detected by the DGE analysis, supporting the reliability of the DGE data. This work provides additional insight into the molecular basis of grafted watermelon responses to chilling stress.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, Jiangsu, China; Institute of Vegetable, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Genetic Improvement, Nanjing 210014, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Jinhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vegetable, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Genetic Improvement, Nanjing 210014, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Man
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vegetable, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Genetic Improvement, Nanjing 210014, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vegetable, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Genetic Improvement, Nanjing 210014, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Xingping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, Jiangsu, China. Electronic address: hxl@njau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xilin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hou
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D029773:Citrullus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D003080:Cold Temperature; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D063990:Gene Ontology; D017343:Genes, Plant; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D036226:Seedlings / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D008315:Malondialdehyde
keywords: Chilling stress; Differentially-expressed gene (DEG); Rootstock grafting; Watermelon