Abstract
BackgroundTillering is an important agronomic trait underlying the yields and reproduction of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata), an important perennial forage grass. Although some genes affecting tiller initiation have been identified, the tillering regulatory network is still largely unknown, especially in perennial forage grasses. Thus, unraveling the regulatory mechanisms of tillering in orchardgrass could be helpful in developing selective strategies for high-yield perennial grasses. In this study, we generated high-throughput RNA-sequencing data from multiple tissues of tillering stage plants to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between high- and low-tillering orchardgrass genotypes. Gene Ontology and pathway enrichment analyses connecting the DEGs to tillering number diversity were conducted.ResultsIn the present study, approximately 26,282 DEGs were identified between two orchardgrass genotypes, AKZ-NRGR667 (a high-tillering genotype) and D20170203 (a low-tillering genotype), which significantly differed in tiller number. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated that DEGs related to the biosynthesis of three classes of phytohormones, i.e., strigolactones (SLs), abscisic acid (ABA), and gibberellic acid (GA), as well as nitrogen metabolism dominated such differences between the high- and low-tillering genotypes. We also confirmed that under phosphorus deficiency, the expression level of the major SL biosynthesis genes encoding DWARF27 (D27), 9-cis-beta-carotene 9′,10′-cleaving dioxygenase (CCD7), carlactone synthase (CCD8), and more axillary branching1 (MAX1) proteins in the high-tillering orchardgrass genotype increased more slowly relative to the low-tillering genotype.ConclusionsHere, we used transcriptomic data to study the tillering mechanism of perennial forage grasses. We demonstrated that differential expression patterns of genes involved in SL, ABA, and GA biosynthesis may differentiate high- and low-tillering orchardgrass genotypes at the tillering stage. Furthermore, the core SL biosynthesis-associated genes in high-tillering orchardgrass were more insensitive than the low-tillering genotype to phosphorus deficiency which can lead to increases in SL biosynthesis, raising the possibility that there may be distinct SL biosynthesis way in tillering regulation in orchardgrass. Our research has revealed some candidate genes involved in the regulation of tillering in perennial grasses that is available for establishment of new breeding resources for high-yield perennial grasses and will serve as a new resource for future studies into molecular mechanism of tillering regulation in orchardgrass.
Highlights
Tillering is an important agronomic trait underlying the yields and reproduction of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata), an important perennial forage grass
We demonstrated that differential expression patterns of genes involved in SL, abscisic acid (ABA), and gibberellic acid (GA) biosynthesis may differentiate high- and low-tillering orchardgrass genotypes at the tillering stage
The core SL biosynthesis-associated genes in high-tillering orchardgrass were more insensitive than the low-tillering genotype to phosphorus deficiency which can lead to increases in SL biosynthesis, raising the possibility that there may be distinct SL biosynthesis way in tillering regulation in orchardgrass
Summary
Tillering is an important agronomic trait underlying the yields and reproduction of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata), an important perennial forage grass. Unraveling the regulatory mechanisms of tillering in orchardgrass could be helpful in developing selective strategies for high-yield perennial grasses. As an important perennial forage grass, orchardgrass has been widely cultivated for a long time owing to its high adaptability, nutritive value, and biomass [6]. As a perennial forage grass, the sexual and asexual reproduction of orchardgrass both occur directly through tillering [4, 8]. With the publication of the orchardgrass genome [9], unraveling the regulatory mechanisms that underly tillering in orchardgrass can be used to develop selective breeding resources for high-yield perennial grasses
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