Transcriptome data of Arabidopsis thaliana lines overexpressing SiLRL1 (PRJCA046621)
Foxtail millet, an ancient cereal crop domesticated in China, is valued for its nutritional richness, particularly its carotenoid content. Carotenoids play critical roles in plant development and stress responses, and their metabolic pathways are regulated by various transcription factors (TFs). However, the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms controlling carotenoid accumulation in cereal crops remain poorly understood. In this study, we characterized SiLRL1, a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) TF in foxtail millet, and investigated its role in carotenoid metabolism and abiotic stress tolerance. RNA-seq analysis revealed that SiLRL1 overexpression downregulated key carotenoid degradation genes (e.g., AtNCED4/CCD4) and upregulated genes involved in the mevalonate (MVA) and methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathways, as well as carotenogenic genes (e.g., AtPSY, AtLCYB, AtLCYE).