Deciphering transcriptomic signatures explaining the phenotypic plasticity of non-heading lettuce genotypes under artificial light conditions

Abstract

Elucidating the mechanisms and pathways involved in –environment (G×E) interactions and phenotypic plasticity is critical for improving plant growth. Controlled environment agricultural systems allow growers to modulate the environment for particular genotypes. In this study, we evaluated the effects of interactions among 14 genotypes and four artificial light environments on leaf lettuce phenotypes and dissected the underlying molecular mechanism via transcriptome–based modeling. Variations in morphological traits and phytochemical contents in response to artificial light treatments revealed significant G×E interactions. The appropriate genotype and artificial light combinations for maximizing phenotypic expression were determined on the basis of a joint regression analysis and the additive main effect and multiplicative interaction model for these G×E interactions. Transcriptome–based regression modeling explained approximately 50%–90% of the G×E variations. Further analyzes indicated Red Lettuce Leaves 4 (RLL4) regulates UV–B and blue light signaling through the effects of the HY5–MBW pathway on flavonoid biosynthesis and contributes to natural variations in the light–responsive plasticity of lettuce traits. Our study represents an important step toward elucidating the phenotypic variations due to G×E interactions in non–heading lettuce under artificial light conditions.