Abstract
2-(3,4-Dichlorophenoxy) triethylamine (DCPTA) regulates plant development; however, the molecular basis of this regulation is poorly understood. In this study, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis and physiological indexes of maize seedlings (three-leaf stage) treated with 15% polyethylene glycol (PEG) with/without DCPTA were investigated to explore the possible mechanism of exogenous DCPTA-improved drought tolerance. In the library pair comparisons of DCPTA vs. the control, PEG vs. the control, and PEG + DCPTA vs. PEG, totals of 19, 38 and 20 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were classified as being involved in metabolic processes, respectively; totals of 5, 11, and 6 DEGs were enriched in the nitrogen (N) metabolic pathway, respectively. The genes encoding nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-nitrate reductase (NADH-NR), ferredoxin-nitrite reductase (Fd-NiR), reduced ferredoxin- glutamate synthase (Fd-GOGAT), and chloroplastic glutamine synthetase (GS 2) were common in response to PEG-simulated drought stress with/without DCPTA treatment. Moreover, DCPTA maintained stable gene relative expression levels and protein abundances of NADH-NR, Fd-NiR, GS2, and Fd-GOGAT. Moreover, exogenous DCPTA partially mitigated PEG-simulated drought-induced reductions in the enzymatic activities of NR, nitrite reductase (NiR), glutamine synthase (GS), glutamine oxoglutarate aminotransferase (GOGAT), and transaminase, as well as in the contents of nitrate (NO3−), nitrite (NO2−) and soluble proteins and increases in the contents of ammonium (NH4+) and free amino acids. Together, our results indicate that exogenous DCPTA improved plant growth and drought tolerance by regulating N-mechanism enzymatic activities involved in transcription and enzymatic protein synthesis.
Highlights
Worldwide food security has been threatened by the continuously increasing population and ongoing climatic change [1]
The results showed that the main term associated with the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the biological process category (GO:0008152) was metabolic process, which was true for 19, 38, and 20 DEGs in the library pair comparisons of DCPTA vs. the control, polyethylene glycol (PEG) vs. the control, and PEG + DCPTA vs. PEG, respectively (Figure 3)
The effects of DCPTA on seedlings is related to metabolic processes, and N metabolism is the major metabolic pathway
Summary
Worldwide food security has been threatened by the continuously increasing population and ongoing climatic change [1]. L.) yield is lost annually [2]. Increasing the drought tolerance of maize is urgently needed to guarantee global food security [3]. Plant growth and productivity are largely determined by nitrogen (N) metabolism [4]. N is a major component of a variety of cellular metabolites, including photosynthetic pigments [5].
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