Abstract
Drought is one of the most significant abiotic stresses that affects the growth and productivity of crops worldwide. Finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] is a C4 crop with high nutritional value and drought tolerance. However, the drought stress tolerance genetic mechanism of finger millet is largely unknown. In this study, transcriptomic (RNA-seq) and proteomic (iTRAQ) technologies were combined to investigate the finger millet samples treated with drought at different stages to determine drought response mechanism. A total of 80,602 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 3,009 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified in the transcriptomic and proteomic levels, respectively. An integrated analysis, which combined transcriptome and proteome data, revealed the presence of 1,305 DEPs were matched with the corresponding DEGs (named associated DEGs-DEPs) when comparing the control to samples which were treated with 19 days of drought (N1-N2 comparison group), 1,093 DEGs-DEPs between control and samples which underwent rehydration treatment for 36 hours (N1-N3 comparison group) and 607 DEGs-DEPs between samples which were treated with drought for 19 days and samples which underwent rehydration treatment for 36 hours (N2-N3 comparison group). Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis identified 80 DEGs-DEPs in the N1-N2 comparison group, 49 DEGs-DEPs in the N1-N3 comparison group, and 59 DEGs-DEPs in the N2-N3 comparison group, which were associated with drought stress. The DEGs-DEPs which were drought tolerance-related were enriched in hydrolase activity, glycosyl bond formation, oxidoreductase activity, carbohydrate binding and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids. Co-expression network analysis revealed two candidate DEGs-DEPs which were found to be centrally involved in drought stress response. These results suggested that the coordination of the DEGs-DEPs was essential to the enhanced drought tolerance response in the finger millet.
Highlights
Finger Millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] (2n = 4x = 36, AABB) belongs to the Poaceae family and is the most widely grown cereal crop after pearl millet and foxtail millet [1]
MDA (Malondialdehyde) content and soluble sugar content directly reflect the degree of peroxidation of plant cell membranes
The content of these markers increased significantly after 19 days of drought, and the activity decreased after 36 hours of rehydration. These markers increased in root during drought stress and continued to increase after 36 hours of rehydration (Fig 2). These physiological indicators point to a strong drought tolerance phenotype for finger millet
Summary
Finger Millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] (2n = 4x = 36, AABB) belongs to the Poaceae family and is the most widely grown cereal crop after pearl millet and foxtail millet [1] It is widely cultivated in arid and semi-arid tropical regions of the world, such as Africa and South Asia. Compared with many other grains, finger millet is more rich in highquality proteins (5–8%), aromatic compounds, tryptophan, cysteine, methionine, dietary fiber (15–20%), phytochemicals, calcium (2–3%), manganese, iron, phosphorus, copper, sodium and a large variety of carbohydrates. It is gluten-free and known for its health benefits [2,3,4]. In addition to its potential to solve some nutritional deficiencies in rural areas, finger millet is a typical C4 plant that copes well with drought conditions as well as biotic stresses [5]
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