Integrated Transcriptome and Metabolome Analysis Reveals the Dynamic Regulatory Mechanisms of Inflorescence Devel-opment in Agropyron cristatum
Background:Agropyron cristatum (Crested wheatgrass) is a perennial forage grass and a valuable genetic resource for wheat improvement due to its stress tolerance. Inflorescence development is a critical determinant of its seed yield and biomass quality, yet the underlying molecular and hormonal mechanisms remain largely unexplored.Objectives:This project aims to systematically characterize the transcriptional and hormonal dynamics during inflorescence development in A. cristatum, and to identify key genes and pathways regulating its inflorescence architecture and yield potential.Methods:We collected inflorescence tissues at three key developmental stages: booting stage (BS), heading stage (HS), and flowering stage (FS). For each stage, three biological replicates were processed. High-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed to obtain global gene expression profiles. In parallel, targeted phytohormone metabolomics was conducted to quantify the levels of major plant hormones, including gibberellins (GAs), auxins (IAAs), cytokinins (CKs), salicylic acid (SA), abscisic acid (ABA), and jasmonates (JAs). Bioinformatics analyses included differential gene expression, Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment, and co-expression network analysis.Findings:The transcriptome analysis revealed thousands of stage-specific differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Hormone profiling showed significant dynamic changes in GA, IAA, and CK levels across development. We identified key structural and signaling genes within these three core hormone pathways. Furthermore, several key transcription factor families associated with flowering and meristem regulation (e.g., AP2/ERF, MYB, TCP, HD-ZIP, WOX, LFY, NF-Y) were highlighted. The data provide an integrated resource linking hormone activity to transcriptional reprogramming during inflorescence development.