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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2022, Vol. 21 Issue (4): 1015-1027    DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(21)63784-X
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Transcriptome analysis reveals the differential regulatory effects of red and blue light on nitrate metabolism in pakchoi (Brassica campestris L.)
FAN Xiao-xue1, BIAN Zhong-hua2, SONG Bo1, XU Hai1#br#
1 Institute of Vegetable Crops/Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Genetic Improvement, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, P.R.China 
2 Photobiology Research Center, Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610200, P.R.China 
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摘要  

小白菜是一种重要的叶菜。光谱尤其是红光和蓝光在调控硝酸盐代谢中起着重要作用。目前,在转录组水平上红光和蓝光对小白菜硝酸盐代谢的影响研究仍然有限,本研究通过RNA测序技术来探索其分子机制。结果表明,与白光相比,红光和蓝光处理下的差异表达基因(DEGs)分别为3939和5534个。通过 KEGG通路分析和GO分析,发现差异基因主要参与硝酸盐同化、植物与病原体的相互作用、次生代谢产物的生物合成和苯丙素的生物合成。在生理代谢水平上也证实了光谱波长对硝酸盐含量和相关酶活有不同影响。研究发现,Crys/Phys-COP1-HY5/HY5-like等不同的信号转导模块参与了红光和蓝光诱导的硝酸盐代谢,该复合物的转录水平与观察到的硝酸盐积累水平一致。通过qPCR进一步验证了15个随机选取的差异基因表达模式。综上所述,本研究结果为进一步研究光谱在转录组水平上调控小白菜硝酸盐代谢提供了帮助。




Abstract  Pakchoi (Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis) is an important leafy vegetable.  Various light spectra, especially red and blue light, play vital roles in the regulation of nitrate metabolism.  Information on the effects of red and blue light on nitrate metabolism at the transcriptome level in pakchoi is still limited, so this study used RNA sequencing technology to explore this molecular mechanism.  Through pairwise comparisons with white LED light, 3 939 and 5 534 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified under red and blue light, respectively.  By Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) analyses, these unigenes were found to be involved in nitrate assimilation, plant–pathogen interaction, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis.  The differential effects of light spectra on the nitrate concentration and metabolism-related enzyme activities were also confirmed at the physiological level.  Several signal transduction modules, including Crys/Phys-COP1-HY5/HY5-like, were found to be involved in red and blue light-induced nitrate metabolism, and the transcript levels for this complex were consistent with the observed degree of nitrate assimilation.  The expression patterns of 15 randomly selected DEGs were further validated using qPCR.  Taken together, the results of this study could help improve our understanding of light spectrum-regulated nitrate metabolism in pakchoi at the transcriptome level.
Keywords:  nitrate metabolism       light spectra        transcriptome        gene expression        pakchoi  
Received: 25 September 2020   Accepted: 19 July 2021
Fund: This research was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFB0403903) and the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Project of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ASTIP-CAAS, 34-IUA-03). 
About author:  FAN Xiao-xue, E-mail: fxx600@163.com; Correspondence BIAN Zhong-hua, Tel: +86-28-80203196, E-mail: bianzhonghua@caas.cn; XU Hai, Tel: +86-25-84390676, E-mail: xuhai@jaas.ac.cn

Cite this article: 

FAN Xiao-xue, BIAN Zhong-hua, SONG Bo, XU Hai. 2022. Transcriptome analysis reveals the differential regulatory effects of red and blue light on nitrate metabolism in pakchoi (Brassica campestris L.). Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 21(4): 1015-1027.

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