Comparative proteomic analysis provides new insights into the specialization of shoots and stolons in bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.)

Abstract

Background Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) is an important turfgrass species with two types of stems, shoots and stolons. Despite their importance in determining the morphological variance and plasticity of bermudagrass, the intrinsic differences between stolons and shoots are poorly understood. Results In this study, we compared the proteomes of internode sections of shoots and stolons in the bermudagrass cultivar Yangjiang. The results indicated that 376 protein species were differentially accumulated in the two types of stems. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that five and nine biochemical pathways were significantly enriched in stolons and shoots, respectively. Specifically, enzymes participating in starch synthesis all preferentially accumulated in stolons, whereas proteins involved in glycolysis and diverse transport processes showed relatively higher abundance in shoots. ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) and pyruvate kinase (PK), which catalyze rate-limiting steps of starch synthesis and glycolysis, showed high expression levels and enzyme activity in stolons and shoots, respectively, in accordance with the different starch and soluble sugar contents of the two types of stems. Conclusions Our study revealed the differences between the shoots and stolons of bermudagrass at the proteome level. The results not only expand our understanding of the specialization of stolons and shoots but also provide clues for the breeding of bermudagrass and other turfgrasses with different plant architectures.

Organ-Specific Transcriptome Analysis Identifies Candidate Genes Involved in the Stem Specialization of Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.)

“…In shoot, sucrose was mainly degraded through glycolysis, whereas in stolon and rhizome, especially rhizome, sucrose was efficiently transformed to starch. This result was in line with the previous suspicions that rhizome of bermudagrass functions as a storage organ ( Dong and de Kroon, 1994 ; Pornaro et al, 2019 ) and shoot has relatively higher glycolysis activity ( Zhang et al, 2019 ). Secondly, expression profiling and RT-qPCR both indicated that GH3 and JAR1 were preferentially expressed in rhizome and shoot, respectively ( Figure 7 ).…”

“…Soluble sugar and starch content were determined as previously described ( Zhang et al, 2019 ). Briefly, frozen organ samples were baking dried to remove water and 0.1 g dry organ samples were ground to a fine powder using mortar and pestle.…”

“…With stolon and rhizome, bermudagrass can fast propagate by asexually clonal growth, which is exactly the reason why bermudagrass is both a useful turfgrass and a harmful weed ( Horowitz, 1972 ; Fernandez, 2003 ). In the past several years, a few studies have successfully analyzed the functions of shoot, stolon and rhizome of bermudagrass and pointed out the difference among the three types of stems ( Pornaro et al, 2019 ; Zhang et al, 2019 ). However, the molecular mechanism underlying the differentiation and development of the three stems in bermudagrass remains unclear.…”

A High-Quality Haplotype-Resolved Genome of Common Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) Provides Insights Into Polyploid Genome Stability and Prostrate Growth

“…Unlike domesticated cereal grasses including rice, wheat, maize, and sorghum, C. dactylon has typical plant architectural characteristics of wild grasses that its stems are differentiated into shoots, stolons, and rhizomes ( Dong and de Kroon, 1994 ; Zhang et al, 2019 ; Ma et al, 2021 ). Shoots grow erectly and are widely seen in other plants, whereas stolons and rhizomes are two types of prostrate stems that grow aboveground and underground, respectively ( Guo et al, 2021 ).…”

A Novel Beta-Glucosidase Gene for Plant Type Was Identified by Genome-Wide Association Study and Gene Co-Expression Analysis in Widespread Bermudagrass

“…As an important warm-season forage and turfgrass, bermudagrass is more variable in genome size and ploidy level, so the genetic and morphological diversity of abundant wild germplasm resources provides different varieties for bermudagrass breeding [ 10 , 11 ]. According to the development levels of shoots and stolons, wild bermudagrass are commonly divided into forage-types and turf-types based on different plant types [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. To produce more forage and digestible nutrients, forage-type accessions of bermudagrass may represent more leaf content with high shoots and less stems with weak stolons [ 6 , 16 ].…”