Different Genes Express Analysis of root crown of alfalfa under low temperature stress
Abstract Abstract Background: Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa ) is a perennial forage crop widely cultivated in northern China. The root crown of alfalfa is an important storage organ in the process of wintering, and it is closely related to the winter hardiness of alfalfa. At present, the specific molecular mechanism of response to winter hardiness in alfalfa root crown is unclear. The transcriptome database created by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) is widely used to identify the critical genes related to winter hardiness. Results: The transcriptomes of alfalfa varieties, such as “Lomgmu 806” (with high winter survival rate) and “Sardi” (with low winter survival rate) have been sequenced in the study. Among the identified 57,712 unigenes, 2,299 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were up-regulated, and 2,143 unigenes were down-regulated in the Lomgmu 806 vs Sardi root crown. The KEGG pathway annotations showed that 1,159 unigenes were mainly annotated to 116 pathways. Seven DEGs belonging to “plant hormone signaling transduction”, “peroxidase” pathway and transcription factors family (MYB, B3, AP2/ERF, WRKY) genes involved in alfalfa winter hardiness. Among them, the expression patterns of seven DEGs were verified by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analyses, which verified the reliable results of transcriptome sequencing analyses. Conclusions: RNA-Seq was used to discover genes associated with the wintering differences between alfalfa varieties. The transcriptome data showed that the gene regulation response of alfalfa to low temperature stress, which provides a valuable resource for further identification and functional analysis of candidate genes for winter hardiness of alfalfa. In addition, these data provide references for future study of genetic breeding and winter hardiness in alfalfa.