Transcriptome Analysis of the Regulatory Mechanism of Exogenous Spermidine in High Temperature Stress Resistance of Tomato Seedlings

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that spermidine (Spd) can improve tolerance to high temperature stress in tomato seedlings. To further understand how Spd regulates the molecular components of high temperature stress signaling pathways, we performed a genome-wide transcriptome analysis in tomato seedlings treated with high temperature and/or exogenous Spd. The results demonstrate that, under high temperature conditions, Spd significantly alleviated the inhibition of plant growth, as well as improving the net photosynthetic rate and pigment contents. The transcriptome analysis revealed thousands of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in response to high temperature with or without Spd treatment. Half of the genes were induced by high temperature, part of the genes were induced by high temperature with exogenous Spd, and some were induced by the coordinated effect of high temperature and Spd. A GO analysis indicated that genes involved in cellular processes, metabolic processes, and nucleotide binding in the sample were subjected to high temperature. Some DEGs were also involved in plant physiological processes. These results suggest potential genes and molecular pathways were involved in the exogenous Spd-mediated tolerance to high temperature stress in tomato plants. A JA signaling test was designed, which indicated that MYC2 and JAS1 in heat-resistant materials were both increased, through quantitative RT-PCR.