Global transcriptome analysis of alfalfa reveals six key biological processes of senescent leaves

Leaf senescence is a complex organized developmental stage limiting the yield of crop plants, and alfalfa is an important forage crop worldwide. However, our understanding of the molecular mechanism of leaf senescence and its influence on biomass in alfalfa is still limited. In this study, RNA sequencing was utilized to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in young, mature, and senescent leaves, and the functions of key genes related to leaf senescence. A total of 163,511 transcripts and 77,901 unigenes were identified from the transcriptome, and 5,133 unigenes were differentially expressed. KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that ribosome and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathways, and starch and sucrose metabolism pathways are involved in leaf development and senescence in alfalfa. GO enrichment analyses exhibited that six clusters of DEGs are involved in leaf morphogenesis, leaf development, leaf formation, regulation of leaf development, leaf senescence and negative regulation of the leaf senescence biological process. The WRKY and NAC families of genes mainly consist of transcription factors that are involved in the leaf senescence process. Our results offer a novel interpretation of the molecular mechanisms of leaf senescence in alfalfa.

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Transcriptome analysis reveals differentially expressed MYB transcription factors associated with silicon response in wheat

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-83912-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lidong Hao ◽

Shubing Shi ◽

Haibin Guo ◽

Jinshan Zhang ◽

Peng Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factors ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Vital Role ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Wheat Seedlings ◽

Go Enrichment ◽

Phenylpropanoid Biosynthesis ◽

Family Gene ◽

R2r3 Myb

AbstractSilicon plays a vital role in plant growth. However, molecular mechanisms in response to silicon have not previously been studied in wheat. In this study, we used RNA-seq technology to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in wheat seedlings treated with silicon. Results showed that many wheat genes responded to silicon treatment, including 3057 DEGs, of which 6.25% (191/3057) were predicted transcription factors (TFs). Approximately 14.67% (28 out of 191) of the differentially expressed TFs belonged to the MYB TF family. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment showed that the highly enriched DEGs were responsible for secondary biosynthetic processes. According to KEGG pathway analysis, the DEGs were related to chaperones and folding catalysts, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, 411 R2R3-MYB TFs were identified in the wheat genome, all of which were classified into 15 groups and accordingly named S1–S15. Among them, 28 were down-regulated under silicon treatment. This study revealed the essential role of MYB TFs in the silicon response mechanism of plants, and provides important genetic resources for breeding silicon-tolerant wheat.

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Genome-wide analysis of changes in miRNA and target gene expression reveals key roles in heterosis for Chinese cabbage biomass

Horticulture Research ◽

10.1038/s41438-021-00474-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Peirong Li ◽

Tongbing Su ◽

Deshuang Zhang ◽

Weihong Wang ◽

Xiaoyun Xin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chinese Cabbage ◽

Leaf Development ◽

Target Genes ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Seedling Stage ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Small Rna Sequencing ◽

Leaf Morphogenesis ◽

Expression Levels ◽

Parental Lines

AbstractHeterosis is a complex phenomenon in which hybrids show better phenotypic characteristics than their parents do. Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. spp. pekinensis) is a popular leafy crop species, hybrids of which are widely used in commercial production; however, the molecular basis of heterosis for biomass of Chinese cabbage is poorly understood. We characterized heterosis in a Chinese cabbage F1 hybrid cultivar and its parental lines from the seedling stage to the heading stage; marked heterosis of leaf weight and biomass yield were observed. Small RNA sequencing revealed 63 and 50 differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMs) at the seedling and early-heading stages, respectively. The expression levels of the majority of miRNA clusters in the F1 hybrid were lower than the mid-parent values (MPVs). Using degradome sequencing, we identified 1,819 miRNA target genes. Gene ontology (GO) analyses demonstrated that the target genes of the MPV-DEMs and low parental expression level dominance (ELD) miRNAs were significantly enriched in leaf morphogenesis, leaf development, and leaf shaping. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the expression levels of photosynthesis and chlorophyll synthesis-related MPV-DEGs (differentially expressed genes) were significantly different in the F1 hybrid compared to the parental lines, resulting in increased photosynthesis capacity and chlorophyll content in the former. Furthermore, expression of genes known to regulate leaf development was also observed at the seedling stage. Arabidopsis plants overexpressing BrGRF4.2 and bra-miR396 presented increased and decreased leaf sizes, respectively. These results provide new insight into the regulation of target genes and miRNA expression patterns in leaf size and heterosis for biomass of B. rapa.

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Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes in Porcine Ovaries at Proestrus and Estrus Stages Using RNA-Seq Technique

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2018/9150723 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Songbai Yang ◽

Xiaolong Zhou ◽

Yue Pei ◽

Han Wang ◽

Ke He ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Differentially Expressed Genes ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Hormone Secretion ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Receptor Interaction ◽

The Novel ◽

Kegg Pathways ◽

Go Enrichment ◽

Single Organism

Estrus is an important factor for the fecundity of sows, and it is involved in ovulation and hormone secretion in ovaries. To better understand the molecular mechanisms of porcine estrus, the expression patterns of ovarian mRNA at proestrus and estrus stages were analyzed using RNA sequencing technology. A total of 2,167 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified (P≤0.05, log2 Ratio≥1), of which 784 were upregulated and 1,383 were downregulated in the estrus compared with the proestrus group. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment indicated that these DEGs were mainly involved in the cellular process, single-organism process, cell and cell part, and binding and metabolic process. In addition, a pathway analysis showed that these DEGs were significantly enriched in 33 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, including cell adhesion molecules, ECM-receptor interaction, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) confirmed the differential expression of 10 selected DEGs. Many of the novel candidate genes identified in this study will be valuable for understanding the molecular mechanisms of the sow estrous cycle.

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iTRAQ-based comparative proteomic analysis of differences in the protein profiles of stems and leaves from two alfalfa genotypes

10.21203/rs.3.rs-36055/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hao Sun ◽

Jie Yu ◽

Fan Zhang ◽

Junmei Kang ◽

Mingna Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Leaf Development ◽

Proteomic Analysis ◽

Regulatory Networks ◽

Carbon Fixation ◽

Chlorophyll Biosynthesis ◽

Phenylpropanoid Pathway ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Differentially Expressed Proteins ◽

Chlorophyll Metabolism ◽

Phenylpropanoid Biosynthesis

Abstract Background: To explore the molecular regulatory mechanisms of early stem and leaf development, proteomic analysis was performed on leaves and stems of F genotype alfalfa, with thin stems and small leaves, and M genotype alfalfa, with thick stems and large leaves. Results: Based on fold-change thresholds of >1.20 or <0.83 ( p <0.05), a large number of proteins were identified as being differentially enriched between the M and F genotypes: 249 downregulated and 139 upregulated in stems and 164 downregulated and 134 upregulated in leaves. The differentially expressed proteins in stems were mainly involved in amino acid biosynthesis, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, carbon fixation, and phenylalanine metabolism. The differentially expressed proteins in leaves were mainly involved in porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism, and carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms. Six differentially enriched proteins were mapped onto the porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism pathway in leaves of the M genotype, including five upregulated proteins involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis and one downregulated protein involved in chlorophyll degradation. Eleven differentially enriched proteins were mapped onto the phenylpropanoid pathway in stems of the M genotype, including two upregulated proteins and nine downregulated proteins. Conclusion: Enhanced chlorophyll synthesis and decreased lignin synthesis provided a reasonable explanation for the larger leaves and lower levels of stem lignification in M genotype alfalfa. This proteomic study aimed to classify the functions of differentially enriched proteins and to provide information on the molecular regulatory networks involved in stem and leaf development.

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Mechanisms of the Morphological Plasticity Induced by Phytohormones and the Environment in Plants

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22020765 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 765

Author(s):

Gaojie Li ◽

Shiqi Hu ◽

Xuyao Zhao ◽

Sunjeet Kumar ◽

Yixian Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Leaf Development ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Leaf Growth ◽

Morphological Plasticity ◽

Regulatory Elements ◽

Leaf Morphogenesis ◽

Environmental Signals

Plants adapt to environmental changes by regulating their development and growth. As an important interface between plants and their environment, leaf morphogenesis varies between species, populations, or even shows plasticity within individuals. Leaf growth is dependent on many environmental factors, such as light, temperature, and submergence. Phytohormones play key functions in leaf development and can act as molecular regulatory elements in response to environmental signals. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge on the effects of different environmental factors and phytohormone pathways on morphological plasticity and intend to summarize the advances in leaf development. In addition, we detail the molecular mechanisms of heterophylly, the representative of leaf plasticity, providing novel insights into phytohormones and the environmental adaptation in plants.

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Molecular basis of sex and reproductive status in breeding zebrafish

Physiological Genomics ◽

10.1152/physiolgenomics.00284.2006 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 111-122 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

E. M. Santos ◽

V. L. Workman ◽

G. C. Paull ◽

A. L. Filby ◽

K. J. W. Van Look ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Basis ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Protein Biosynthesis ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Strong Relationship ◽

Gene Families ◽

Reproductive Status ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Biological Processes ◽

Real Time Quantitative Pcr

The zebrafish ( Danio rerio) is used extensively as a model species for studies on vertebrate development and for assessing chemical effects on reproduction. Despite this, the molecular mechanisms controlling zebrafish reproduction are poorly understood. We analyzed the transcriptomic profiles of the gonads of individual zebrafish, using a 17k oligonucleotide microarray, to define the molecular basis of sex and reproductive status in sexually mature fish. The gonadal transcriptome differed substantially between sexes. Among the genes overexpressed in females, 11 biological processes were overrepresented including mitochondrion organization and biogenesis, and cell growth and/or maintenance. Among the genes overexpressed in males, six biological processes were overrepresented including protein biosynthesis and protein metabolism. Analysis of the expression of gene families known to be involved in reproduction identified a number of genes differentially expressed between ovaries and testes including a number of sox genes and genes belonging to the insulin-like growth factor and the activin-inhibin pathways. Real-time quantitative PCR confirmed the expression profiles for nine of the most differentially expressed genes and indicated that many transcripts are likely to be switched off in one of the sexes in the gonads of adult fish. Significant differences were seen between the gonad transcriptomes of individual reproductively active females reflecting their stage of maturation, whereas the testis transcriptomes were remarkably similar between individuals. In summary, we have identified molecular processes associated with (gonadal) sex specificity in breeding zebrafish and established a strong relationship between individual ovarian transcriptomes and reproductive status in females.

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Transcriptome Profiling Reveals Potential Genes Involved in Browning of Fresh-cut Eggplant (Solanum Melongena L.)

10.21203/rs.3.rs-60990/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Xiaohui Liu ◽

Jing Shang ◽

Aidong Zhang ◽

Zongwen Zhu ◽

Dingshi Zha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Differentially Expressed Genes ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Solanum Melongena ◽

Transcriptome Profiling ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Enzymatic Browning ◽

Fruit Samples ◽

Phenylpropanoid Biosynthesis ◽

Fresh Cut

Abstract Background: Fresh-cut processing promotes enzymatic browning of fresh fruits and vegetables, which negatively affects the appearance of products and impacts their nutrition. We used the RNA-Seq technique to analyze the transcriptomic changes occurring during the browning of fresh-cut eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) fruit samples from a browning-sensitive cultivar and a browning-resistant cultivar to investigate the genes and molecular mechanisms involved in browning. Results: A total of 111.55 GB of high-quality reads were generated, the genomes of each sample were compared, and 83.50%–95.14% of the data was mapped to the eggplant reference genome. Furthermore, a total of 19631 differentially expressed genes were identified, among which 12 genes and two WRKY transcription factors were identified as potentially involved in enzymatic browning in fresh-cut eggplant fruit. Moreover, the 14 differentially expressed genes associated with browning were verified using qRT-PCR. Conclusions: Several genes associated with phenolic oxidation, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and flavonoid biosynthesis were found to be differentially regulated between the eggplant cultivars with different browning sensitivities. This work is of great theoretical significance, as it provides a basis for future molecular studies and improvement of eggplants, and lays a theoretical foundation for the development of browning-resistant fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.

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Transcriptome in Combination Proteome Unveils the Phenylpropane Pathway Involved in Garlic (Allium sativum) Greening

Frontiers in Nutrition ◽

10.3389/fnut.2021.764133 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Jinxiang Wu ◽

Zhonglu Niu ◽

Xiaoming Lu ◽

Xiaozhen Tang ◽

Xuguang Qiao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Metabolic Pathway ◽

Allium Sativum ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Go Enrichment ◽

Phenylpropanoid Biosynthesis ◽

Full Length Transcript ◽

Go Enrichment Analysis ◽

Garlic Greening

Garlic (Allium sativum) is an important vegetable crop that is widely used in cooking and medicine. The greening phenomenon of garlic severely decreases the quality of garlic and hinders garlic processing. To study the mechanism of garlic greening, comprehensive full-length transcript sets were constructed. We detected the differences in greening between Pizhou (PZ) garlic and Laiwu (LW) garlic that were both stored at −2.5°C and protected from light at the same time. The results showed that 60,087 unigenes were respectively annotated to the NR, KEGG, GO, Pfam, eggNOG and Swiss Prot databases, and a total of 30,082 unigenes were annotated. The analysis of differential genes and differential proteins showed that PZ garlic and LW garlic had 923 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 529 genes were up regulated and 394 genes were downregulated. Through KEGG and GO enrichment analysis, it was found that the most significant way of enriching DEGs was the phenylpropane metabolic pathway. Proteomics analysis found that there were 188 differentially expressed proteins (DAPs), 162 up-regulated proteins, and 26 down-regulated proteins between PZ garlic and LW garlic. The content of 10 proteins related to phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in PZ garlic was significantly higher than that of LW garlic. This study explored the mechanisms of garlic greening at a molecular level and further discovered that the formation of garlic green pigment was affected significantly by the phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway. This work provided a theoretical basis for the maintenance of garlic quality during garlic processing and the future development of the garlic processing industries.

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The diverse roles of cytokinins in regulating leaf development

Horticulture Research ◽

10.1038/s41438-021-00558-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Wenqi Wu ◽

Kang Du ◽

Xiangyang Kang ◽

Hairong Wei

Keyword(s):

Leaf Development ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Developmental Process ◽

Chlorophyll Synthesis ◽

Growth Potential ◽

Sugar Accumulation ◽

Developmental Processes ◽

Leaf Formation ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

AbstractLeaves provide energy for plants, and consequently for animals, through photosynthesis. Despite their important functions, plant leaf developmental processes and their underlying mechanisms have not been well characterized. Here, we provide a holistic description of leaf developmental processes that is centered on cytokinins and their signaling functions. Cytokinins maintain the growth potential (pluripotency) of shoot apical meristems, which provide stem cells for the generation of leaf primordia during the initial stage of leaf formation; cytokinins and auxins, as well as their interaction, determine the phyllotaxis pattern. The activities of cytokinins in various regions of the leaf, especially at the margins, collectively determine the final leaf morphology (e.g., simple or compound). The area of a leaf is generally determined by the number and size of the cells in the leaf. Cytokinins promote cell division and increase cell expansion during the proliferation and expansion stages of leaf cell development, respectively. During leaf senescence, cytokinins reduce sugar accumulation, increase chlorophyll synthesis, and prolong the leaf photosynthetic period. We also briefly describe the roles of other hormones, including auxin and ethylene, during the whole leaf developmental process. In this study, we review the regulatory roles of cytokinins in various leaf developmental stages, with a focus on cytokinin metabolism and signal transduction processes, in order to shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying leaf development.

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P0998IDENTIFICATION OF DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED GENES AND SIGNALING PATHWAYS IN DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY BY BIOINFORMATICS ANALYSIS

Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation ◽

10.1093/ndt/gfaa142.p0998 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (Supplement_3) ◽

Author(s):

Shumei Tang ◽

Xiangcheng Xiao

Keyword(s):

Diabetic Nephropathy ◽

Differentially Expressed Genes ◽

Complement Activation ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Bioinformatics Analysis ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Biological Processes ◽

Ppi Network ◽

String Database ◽

Molecular Functions

Abstract Background and Aims Diabetes has considerable negative impact on morbidity and mortality and causes huge social and economic burden. As one of the most serious microvascular complication of diabetes, diabetic nephropathy (DN) leads to a large population of end-stage renal disease in many countries. The pathogenesis of DN is always a hot topic and the underlying molecular events are not completely clear. Tubular injury plays an important role and may be the initial event. Although few therapeutic treatments could postpone the onset and development, the morbidity of DN remains high. More available therapeutic treatments are urgently needed as well as early stage diagnostic markers and more credible prognostic molecular markers. As a wide range application of high-throughput omics technology, various public network database platforms have included extensive transcriptomics data for deeper bioinformatics analysis. Integrating these data provides better understandings of molecular functions and biological processes. We performed integrated bioinformatics to recognize differentially expressed genes and discussed potential molecular mechanisms in DN. Method The expression profiles of GSE30529, GSE47184, GSE99325 and GSE104954 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The four microarray datasets were centralized, integrated and performed a difference analysis. Next, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were deeply analyzed by gene ontology annotation and enrichment analysis. STRING database was used to conducted a PPI network and Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE) software was used to identify central genes. Results The four files contain 63 tubular biopsy samples from patients with DN and 41 control tubule samples. We identified 18 target DEGs, C3, PROM1, LUM, CPA3, SERPINA3, ANXA1, CX3CR1, AGR2, CD48, REG1A, RARRES1, CYP24A1, C1R, CFB, CDH6, PVALB, GADD45B and KLK1. GO analysis indicated that biological processes of DEGs concentrate on proteolysis, inflammatory response, complement activation and regulation of complement activation. Main cellular components include extracellular exosome, extracellular region, extracellular space, blood microparticle, protein complex and plasma membrane. Molecular functions include calcium ion binding and serine-type endopeptidase activity. DEGs were found that maybe mainly involved in staphylococcus aureus infection, renin-angiotensin system, and complement and coagulation cascades by KEGG pathway analysis. The PPI network of DEGs were established by STRING database and one significant modules were identified by MCODE software. In addition, 3 hub genes, C3, CX3CR1 and ANXA1, were discerned from the PPI network. Conclusion To better clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms and provide more effective targets, this study screened DEGs and pathways in DN using bioinformatics analyses.

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