Forests 2018, 9(6), 326; https://doi.org/10.3390/f9060326
The Transcriptomic Responses of Pinus massoniana to Drought Stress
1
School of Forestry Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou, China
2
Institute for Forest Resources & Environment of Guizhou, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou, China
3
School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, Guizhou, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 29 April 2018 / Revised: 30 May 2018 / Accepted: 31 May 2018 / Published: 4 June 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Genomics of Forest Trees)
Abstract
Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) is a major fast-growing timber species planted in southern China, a region of seasonal drought. Using a drought-tolerance genotype of Masson pine, we conducted large-scale transcriptome sequencing using Illumina technology. This work aimed to evaluate the transcriptomic responses of Masson pine to different levels of drought stress. First, 3397, 1695 and 1550 unigenes with differential expression were identified by comparing plants subjected to light, moderate or severe drought with control plants. Second, several gene ontology (GO) categories (oxidation-reduction and metabolism) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways (plant hormone signal transduction and metabolic pathways) were enriched, indicating that the expression levels of some genes in these enriched GO terms and pathways were altered under drought stress. Third, several transcription factors (TFs) associated with circadian rhythms (HY5 and LHY), signal transduction (ERF), and defense responses (WRKY) were identified, and these TFs may play key roles in adapting to drought stress. Drought also caused significant changes in the expression of certain functional genes linked to osmotic adjustment (P5CS), abscisic acid (ABA) responses (NCED, PYL, PP2C and SnRK), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging (GPX, GST and GSR). These transcriptomic results provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of drought stress adaptation in Masson pine. View Full-TextKeywords:
Pinus massoniana Lamb.; drought stress; transcriptome; transcription factor; defense response
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Du, M.; Ding, G.; Cai, Q. The Transcriptomic Responses of Pinus massoniana to Drought Stress. Forests 2018, 9, 326.
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