Comparative Transcriptome Profile Analysis of Anther Development in Reproductive Stage of Rice in Cold Region Under Cold Stress

Abstract

Rice in cold region is threatened by cold stress frequently, resulting in severe losses of rice production. In the present study, two rice varieties with contrast cold tolerance in the reproductive stage (Longjing25, cold tolerant; Longjing11 cold sensitive) were compared using RNA-seq technique. A total of 14,861 and 12,148 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained by comparison of LJ25 and LJ11 after 2 days and 4 days of cold stress challenge. Subsequent Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that five significant pathways were specifically enriched in LJ11. Starch and sucrose metabolism was the only one significant pathway (containing 47 DEGs) annotated in both of varieties during two cold treatment periods. By weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), 14 co-expression gene modules were calculated, among which turquoise, cyan, and dark green were the most concerned modules, containing 4807, 2682, and 1174 DEGs, respectively. Finally, we analyzed the transcriptional factors (TFs), and TF families of MYB, zinc finger, AP2/ERF-AP2, bHLH, NAC, bZIP, and WRKY were the biggest seven subfamilies. Collectively, our findings provided valuable insights into the molecular and genetic mechanisms responsible for rice’s response to cold stress.