【Objective】 To enrich sesame transcriptome data, the transcriptome sequencing and bioinforamtics analysis on sesame growth and development and seed formation processes were performed in this study. 【Method】 Six transcriptome sequencing libraries for developing sesame plants and seeds were constructed and sequenced using Illumina RNA sequencing technique, and the global transcriptome information was analyzed subsequently.【Result】8.80 Gb available trancriptome data were acquired as the adaptor sequences, duplication sequences and low-quality reads were removed from the original 12.69 Gb solexa sequencing data. And 26 837 uni-transcripts, longer than 100 bp, were obtained by de novo assembly method (
http://www. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/TSA.html, GenBank ID: JP631635-JP668414). The total scaffold sequence length reached 18.35 Mb with the 1 006 bp of N50, the average uni-transcript length was 683 bp. Annotation analysis of uni-transcripts indicated that 25 331 transcripts had homolog in public protein database; however, 1 506 sequences were no hit and might be sesame-specific. With COG and GO functional classifications, all uni-transcripts were grouped into 24 and 42 function categories, respectively, in which many functional categories, such as material and energy metabolism, signaling, transcription regulation and defense reactions, etc. were included. Furthermore, compared with plant growth and development transcripts, 1 277 sequences expressed more than 10-fold low in seed formation process, and the transcript level of 990 uni-trancripts could not be measured. In addition, 660 sequences were found with more than 10-fold high expression level during seed development, in which 296 sequences seemed as seed-specific. 【Conclusion】With the transcriptome sequencing of Sesamum radiatum and several cultivars of S. indicum L., this study gave a global insight into the characteristics of sesame development transcriptome and thousands of transcript sequences with important function were acquired for future genes expression and regulation research about sesame growth and development.
