Abstract
Crop cultivars with larger root systems have an increased ability to absorb water and nutrients under conditions of water deficit. To unravel the molecular mechanism of water-stress tolerance in wheat, we performed RNA-seq analysis on the two genotypes, Colotana 296-52 (Colotana) and Tincurrin, contrasting the root growth under polyethylene-glycol-induced water-stress treatment. Out of a total of 35,047 differentially expressed genes, 3692 were specifically upregulated in drought-tolerant Colotana under water stress. Transcription factors, pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase and late-embryogenesis-abundant proteins were among upregulated genes in Colotana. Variant calling between Colotana and Tincurrin detected 15,207 SNPs and Indels, which may affect protein function and mediate the contrasting root length phenotype. Finally, the expression patterns of five triads in response to water, high-salinity, heat, and cold stresses were analyzed using qRT-PCR to see if there were differences in homoeologous gene expression in response to those conditions. The five examined triads showed variation in the contribution of homoeologous genes to water, high-salinity, heat, and cold stresses in the two genotypes. The variation of homoeologous gene expression in response to environmental stresses may enable plants to better cope with stresses in their natural environments.
Highlights
Wheat was one of the first cereals to be domesticated, and it provides essential nutrition to more than one third of the population worldwide
The present study evaluated the transcriptome profiles of the two contrasting genotypes, Colotana 296-52 (Colotana) and Tincurrin, for root length under water stress
The objective of this research was to detect root-growth-responsive genes under water-stressed conditions that drive the phenotypic variation observed between the two genotypes, and to determine how homoeologous gene expression patterns change in response to abiotic stress conditions
Summary
Wheat was one of the first cereals to be domesticated, and it provides essential nutrition to more than one third of the population worldwide. The annual demand for cereals has been on the rise for many years necessitating a 60% increase in wheat production to meet global food and fiber needs by the year 2050 [1,2]. Achieving this goal involves great challenges exacerbated by climate. Phenotyping for drought-stress tolerance is notoriously variable depending on its time of occurrence during the crop cycle, severity and duration, and co-occurrence with other environmental stress factors such as high or low temperatures. Understanding the overall physiobiochemical coping mechanisms of plants and incorporating genetic markers into breeding planning will help to better design parental line selection [5,6,7]
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