Differentially expressed genes in Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) when subjected to water-stress

Abstract

Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) is a desert shrub with an ability to survive in extremely arid environments. The exceptional drought tolerance of jojoba includes traits that could be useful in developing drought tolerant crop plants. This study characterized changes in gene expression in jojoba under water-stress during a controlled-environment experiment. A large number of transcripts (10,936) were identified as differentially expressed under contrasting water stress conditions. These included transcripts corresponding to antioxidant activity-related genes such as superoxide dismutase, defense response genes such as Pathogenesis-Related 4 (PR4), water molecule bio-channels such as aquaporins, cell membrane protectants such as Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA), and growth regulators such as 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC). A total of 880 novel transcripts were identified as representing possible novel genes associated with jojoba subjected to water stress. There were also many transcripts linked to transcriptional regulation that were expressed in response to water-stress in jojoba. Many male-specific transcripts corresponding to stress-related genes and transcription regulators were differentially expressed under water-stress with 1928 differentially expressed transcripts that aligned to the two Y chromosome-specific regions Y1 and Y2. The water-stress related genes detected may help explain the drought tolerance of jojoba and provide a valuable source of genes for exploitation in providing tolerance to water stress in other species.