Transcriptomic Identification of Floral Transition and Development-Associated Genes in Styrax japonicus

Wei Li,Kuiling Wang,Zhengzhao Xu,Xinqiang Jiang,Cuiping Zhang

doi:10.3390/f11010010

Abstract

Styrax japonicus (S. japonicus) is an important flowering tree species in temperate regions, and it is regarded as a nectariferous plant. However, there have been few studies to date analyzing floral development in this species. In order to understand gene expression dynamics during S. japonicus flower development, we; therefore, prepared cDNA libraries from three distinct stages of S. japonicus. Illumina sequencing generated 31,471 differentially expressed unigenes during flower development. We additionally conducted pathway enrichment analyses using the GO and KEGG database in order to assess the functions of genes differentially expressed during different stages of the floral development process, revealing these genes to be associated with pathways including phytohormone signaling, Transcription factor, protein kinase, and circadian rhythms. In total, 4828 TF genes, 8402 protein kinase genes, and 78 DEGs related to hormone pathways were identified in flower development stages. Six genes were selected for confirmation of expression levels using quantitative real-time PCR. The gene expression data presented herein represent the most comprehensive dataset available regarding the flowering of S. japonicus, thus offering a reference for future studies of the flowering of this and other Styracaceae species.

Highlights

Styrax japonicus (S. japonicus) is a deciduous species within the Styracaceae family that is distributed from the Qinling Mountains to the south of the Yellow River in China [1]
The basic transcriptome information of S. japonicus have been reported in a previous study [2]
By comparing unigene transcript levels in samples from these three stages of floral development, we were able to explore the transcriptomic dynamics of this flowering process

Summary

Introduction

Styrax japonicus (S. japonicus) is a deciduous species within the Styracaceae family that is distributed from the Qinling Mountains to the south of the Yellow River in China [1]. S. japonicus is an important flowering tree species in temperate regions, where it regarded as a nectariferous plant. There have been relatively few studies conducted to date regarding the basic biology and genetics of this species, with previous molecular biology studies on this plant only focused on the development of simple sequence repeat markers [2]. A great deal of research has been conducted examining the flowering mechanisms of model plants, but comparatively little research has focused on woody flowering plants [4]. Perennial woody plants bloom only under favorable conditions, with some meristematic tissues transforming into flower organs, while other meristematic tissues remain vegetative. Most perennial plants flower seasonally, including S. japonicus, which blooms in the spring.

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Discussion

Conclusion