Integrated analysis of co-expression, conserved genes and gene families reveal core regulatory network of heat stress response in Cleistogenes songorica, a xerophyte perennial desert plant

Abstract

Background As global warming continues, heat stress (HS) is becoming an increasingly significant factor limiting plant growth and reproduction, especially for cool-season grass species. The objective of this study was to determine the transcriptional regulatory network of Cleistogenes songorica under HS via transcriptome profiling, identify of gene families and comparative analysis across major Poaceae species. Results Physiological analysis revealed significantly decreased leaf relative water content (RWC) but increased proline (Pro) content in C. songorica under 24 h of HS. Transcriptome profiling indicated that 16,028 and 14,645 genes were differentially expressed in the shoots and roots of C. songorica under HS, respectively. Two subgenomes of C. songorica provide equal contribution under HS on the basis of the distribution and expression of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Furthermore, 216 DEGs were identified as key evolutionarily conserved genes involved in the response to HS in C. songorica via comparative analysis with genes of four Poaceae species; these genes were involved in the ‘response to heat’ and ‘heat acclimation’. Notably, most of the conserved DEGs belonged to the heat-shock protein (HSP) superfamily. Similar results were also obtained from co-expression analysis. Interestingly, hub-genes of co-expression analysis were found to overlap with conserved genes, especially heat-shock protein (HSP). In C. songorica, 84 HSP and 32 heat-shock transcription factor (HSF) genes were identified in the allotetraploid C. songorica genome, and might have undergone purifying selection during evolutionary history based on syntenic and phylogenetic analysis. By analysing the expression patterns of the CsHSPs and CsHSFs, we found that the transcript abundance of 72.7% of the CsHSP genes and of 62.5% of the CsHSF genes changed under heat stress in both the shoots and roots. Finally, a core regulatory network of HS was constructed on the basis of the CsHSP, CsHSF and other responsive genes in C. songorica. Conclusions Regulatory network and key genes were comprehensively analysed and identified in C. songorica under HS. This study improves our knowledge of thermotolerance mechanisms in native grasses, and also provides candidate genes for potential applications in the genetic improvement of grasses.

Heat Stress-Mediated Constraints in Maize (Zea mays) Production: Challenges and Solutions

“…Class A HSFs contribute to transcriptional activation, whereas the rest two classes have no specific role in transcriptional activation due to the absence of specific protein motifs ( Reddy et al, 2014 ; Haider et al, 2021 ). A master transcription activator HSFA1 stimulates immediate expression of different heat shock responsive transcription factors (TFs), including dehydration responsive element binding protein 2A ( DREB2A ), HSFA2 , HSFA7 , HSFBs, and multiprotein-bridging factor 1C ( MBF1C ) ( Yan et al, 2020 ; Zhao J. et al, 2021 ). Additionally, heat stress stimulates the transactivation of HSFA1 upon the interaction between Hsp70 and Hsp90 ( Ohama et al, 2017 ).…”

Genome-Wide Analysis and Expression Profiles of the Dof Family in Cleistogenes songorica under Temperature, Salt and ABA Treatment

“…After soaking the dried seeds in water for 24 h, the germinated seeds were grown under a light intensity of 200 μM mol photons m −2 s −1 , a 16 h photoperiod, 30 °C day/28 °C night, and in monitored environments at 75–80% relative humidity. One-month old seedlings were treated with 40 °C (high temperature, HT), 4 °C (low temperature, LT), 50 mM (light salt stress, LSS), 100 mM NaCl (moderate salt stress, MSS), 200 mM NaCl (high salt stress, HSS), and ABA (100 uM) for 0 h (control, CK) and 24 h, and the leaves and root were harvested for RNA-seq [ 3 , 55 ]. For all treatments, plant materials from three biological replicates were harvested immediately, frozen in liquid nitrogen, and then stored at −80 °C until RNA isolation.…”

Maize and heat stress: Physiological, genetic, and molecular insights

“…Conversely, the chaperones are recruited away from the HSFA1 during heat stress. Subsequently, HSFA1 trimerizes and transported into the nucleus for the activation of heat stress responsive genes (Yan et al, 2020;Zhao et al, 2021). A parallel signaling cascade initiate with the production of ROS production under heat stress (Hasanuzzaman et al, 2012(Hasanuzzaman et al, , 2013.…”