SummaryOrchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) is an important forage grass for cultivating livestock worldwide. Here, we report an ~1.84‐Gb chromosome‐scale diploid genome assembly of orchardgrass, with a contig N50 of 0.93 Mb, a scaffold N50 of 6.08 Mb and a super‐scaffold N50 of 252.52 Mb, which is the first chromosome‐scale assembled genome of a cool‐season forage grass. The genome includes 40 088 protein‐coding genes, and 69% of the assembled sequences are transposable elements, with long terminal repeats (LTRs) being the most abundant. The LTRretrotransposons may have been activated and expanded in the grass genome in response to environmental changes during the Pleistocene between 0 and 1 million years ago. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that orchardgrass diverged after rice but before three Triticeae species, and evolutionarily conserved chromosomes were detected by analysing ancient chromosome rearrangements in these grass species. We also resequenced the whole genome of 76 orchardgrass accessions and found that germplasm from Northern Europe and East Asia clustered together, likely due to the exchange of plants along the ‘Silk Road’ or other ancient trade routes connecting the East and West. Last, a combined transcriptome, quantitative genetic and bulk segregant analysis provided insights into the genetic network regulating flowering time in orchardgrass and revealed four main candidate genes controlling this trait. This chromosome‐scale genome and the online database of orchardgrass developed here will facilitate the discovery of genes controlling agronomically important traits, stimulate genetic improvement of and functional genetic research on orchardgrass and provide comparative genetic resources for other forage grasses.
Drought stress is a global problem, and the lack of water is a key factor that leads to agricultural shortages. MicroRNAs play a crucial role in the plant drought stress response; however, the microRNAs and their targets involved in drought response have not been well elucidated. In the present study, we used Illumina platform () and combined data from miRNA, RNA, and degradome sequencing to explore the drought- and organ-specific miRNAs in orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) leaf and root. We aimed to find potential miRNA–mRNA regulation patterns responding to drought conditions. In total, 519 (486 conserved and 33 novel) miRNAs were identified, of which, 41 miRNAs had significant differential expression among the comparisons (p < 0.05). We also identified 55,366 unigenes by RNA-Seq, where 12,535 unigenes were differently expressed. Finally, our degradome analysis revealed that 5950 transcripts were targeted by 487 miRNAs. A correlation analysis identified that miRNA ata-miR164c-3p and its target heat shock protein family A (HSP70) member 5 gene comp59407_c0 (BIPE3) may be essential in organ-specific plant drought stress response and/or adaptation in orchardgrass. Additionally, Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analyses found that “antigen processing and presentation” was the most enriched downregulated pathway in adaptation to drought conditions. Taken together, we explored the genes and miRNAs that may be involved in drought adaptation of orchardgrass and identified how they may be regulated. These results serve as a valuable genetic resource for future studies focusing on how plants adapted to drought conditions.
BackgroundVernalization and the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth involve multiple pathways, vital for controlling floral organ formation and flowering time. However, little transcription information is available about the mechanisms behind environmental adaption and growth regulation. Here, we used high-throughput sequencing to analyze the comprehensive transcriptome of Dactylis glomerata L. during six different growth periods.ResultsDuring vernalization, 4689 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) significantly increased in abundance, while 3841 decreased. Furthermore, 12,967 DEGs were identified during booting stage and flowering stage, including 7750 up-regulated and 5219 down-regulated DEGs. Pathway analysis indicated that transcripts related to circadian rhythm, photoperiod, photosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, starch, and sucrose metabolism changed significantly at different stages. Coexpression and weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) analysis linked different stages to transcriptional changes and provided evidence of inner relation modules associated with signal transduction, stress responses, cell division, and hormonal transport.ConclusionsWe found enrichment in transcription factors (TFs) related to WRKY, NAC, AP2/EREBP, AUX/IAA, MADS-BOX, ABI3/VP1, bHLH, and the CCAAT family during vernalization and floral bud development. TFs expression patterns revealed intricate temporal variations, suggesting relatively separate regulatory programs of TF modules. Further study will unlock insights into the ability of the circadian rhythm and photoperiod to regulate vernalization and flowering time in perennial grass.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12870-017-1170-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) is the most commonly used method for accurately detecting gene expression patterns. As part of qRT-PCR analysis, normalization of the data requires internal control gene(s) that display uniform expression under different biological conditions. However, no invariable internal control gene exists, and therefore more than one reference gene is needed to normalize RT-PCR results. In this study, we assessed the expression of eight candidate internal control genes, namely 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA), elongation factor-1alpha, β-Actin, E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, β-Tubulin (TUB), ACTIN2, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and Msc27 of unknown function, in a diverse set of 16 alfalfa (Medicago sativa) samples representing different tissues and abiotic stress challenges, using geNorm and BestKeeper software. The results revealed that the eight candidate genes are inconsistently expressed under different experimental conditions. Msc27 and 18S rRNA are suitable reference genes for comparing different tissue types. Under different abscisic acid and NaCl conditions, three reference genes are necessary. Finally, GAPDH, TUB and β-Actin are unsuitable for normalization of qRT-PCR data under these given conditions in alfalfa. The relative expression level of MsWRKY33 was analyzed using selected reference genes. These results provide an experimental guideline for future research on gene expression in alfalfa using qRT-PCR.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.