Abstract
BackgroundClerodendrum inerme (L.) Gaertn, a halophyte, usually grows on coastal beaches as an important mangrove plant. The salt-tolerant mechanisms and related genes of this species that respond to short-term salinity stress are unknown for us. The de novo transcriptome of C. inerme roots was analyzed using next-generation sequencing technology to identify genes involved in salt tolerance and to better understand the response mechanisms of C. inerme to salt stress.ResultsIllumina RNA-sequencing was performed on root samples treated with 400 mM NaCl for 0 h, 6 h, 24 h, and 72 h to investigate changes in C. inerme in response to salt stress. The de novo assembly identified 98,968 unigenes. Among these unigenes, 46,085 unigenes were annotated in the NCBI non-redundant protein sequences (NR) database, 34,756 sequences in the Swiss-Prot database and 43,113 unigenes in the evolutionary genealogy of genes: Non-supervised Orthologous Groups (eggNOG) database. 52 Gene Ontology (GO) terms and 31 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were matched to those unigenes. Most differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to the GO terms “single-organism process”, “membrane” and “catalytic activity” were significantly enriched while numerous DEGs related to the plant hormone signal transduction pathway were also significantly enriched. The detection of relative expression levels of 9 candidate DEGs by qRT-PCR were basically consistent with fold changes in RNA sequencing analysis, demonstrating that transcriptome data can accurately reflect the response of C. inerme roots to salt stress.ConclusionsThis work revealed that the response of C. inerme roots to saline condition included significant alteration in response of the genes related to plant hormone signaling. Besides, our findings provide numerous salt-tolerant genes for further research to improve the salt tolerance of functional plants and will enhance research on salt-tolerant mechanisms of halophytes.
Highlights
Clerodendrum inerme (L.) Gaertn, a halophyte, usually grows on coastal beaches as an important mangrove plant
This work revealed that the response of C. inerme roots to saline condition included significant alteration in response of the genes related to plant hormone signaling
In the present study, the transcriptome of C. inerme roots was analyzed using Ribonucleic acid (RNA)-seq technology to explore the mechanism involved in salt tolerance
Summary
Clerodendrum inerme (L.) Gaertn, a halophyte, usually grows on coastal beaches as an important mangrove plant. Numerous genes that were isolated from halophytes have been exploited by various modern biotechnological techniques to identify the genes that function in salt tolerance, including genes encoding for transcription factors [19, 20], the Na+/H+ antiporter gene [21, 22] and genes encoding antioxidant enzymes [23, 24]. The existence of these genes enhances the tolerance of plants to salt and provides more choices for the improvement of salt tolerance in crops. Novel processes or genes may exist in different halophyte species
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
