Abstract
Grain filling is an importantly developmental process which is associated with the yield and quality of foxtail millet (Setaria italic L.). However, the molecular mechanisms of grain filling are rarely reported in foxtail millet. In our study, RNA-seq was performed to investigate the transcriptional dynamics and identify the key genes involved in grain filling in foxtail millet at five different developmental stages. A total of 11,399 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 902 transcription factors (TFs), were identified. Certain important genes involved in grain filling were discovered through a function annotation and temporal expression patterns analysis. These genes included genes associated with starch biosynthesis, cell-wall invertases, hormone signal transduction, and polyamine metabolism pathways. The expression levels of seven randomly selected DEGs were validated by a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). This study provides the first insight into the changes in the gene expression of grain filling at different developmental stages in foxtail millet. These results could help understand the complex molecular mechanisms of the panicle formation in foxtail millet and other cereal crops.
Highlights
Kernel weight plays a vital role in the yield of cereal crops and is determined by the duration and rate of grain filling
GF14f is a member of the 14-3-3 protein family which could negatively affect the grain filling of inferior spikelets in rice through inhibiting the enzyme activity involved in sucrose breakdown, starch synthesis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and glycolysis
To gain insight into the transcriptional dynamics and identify the crucial genes involved in grain filling, we employed high-throughput deep sequencing technology to perform a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of foxtail millet at five different developmental stages, including at 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days after anthesis (DAA)
Summary
Kernel weight plays a vital role in the yield of cereal crops and is determined by the duration and rate of grain filling. GF14f is a member of the 14-3-3 protein family which could negatively affect the grain filling of inferior spikelets in rice through inhibiting the enzyme activity involved in sucrose breakdown, starch synthesis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and glycolysis. With the development of high-throughput sequencing technology, transcriptome sequencing has become an effective approach to study the dynamic changes in gene expression during grain filling in different plant species [17,18,19,20]. To gain insight into the transcriptional dynamics and identify the crucial genes involved in grain filling, we employed high-throughput deep sequencing technology to perform a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of foxtail millet at five different developmental stages, including at 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days after anthesis (DAA). The results in this study will provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of foxtail millet grain filling and yield
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