Salt stress inhibits the production of all crop species, including rapeseed (Brassica napus L.), the second most widely planted oil crop species. Although melatonin was confirmed to alleviate salt stress in rapeseed seedlings recently, the mechanism governing the expression levels remains unknown. Therefore, the melatonin-induced transcriptome variation of salt-stressed seedlings was explored. In this study, the transcriptomes of leaves and roots under control (CK), salt (125 mM NaCl, ST) and melatonin (125 mM NaCl plus 50 µM melatonin, MS) treatments were evaluated by using next-generation sequencing techniques. After conducting comparisons of gene expression in the roots and leaves between MS and ST, the differentially expressed gene (DEG) pools were screened. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses highlighted the significant pathways, which were mainly related to plant hormone synthesis and signal transduction, lignin and fatty acid metabolism. The functional genes in the objective KEGG pathways were identified. Furthermore, members of several transcription factor (TF) families participated in the response process. Combined with the hormone (campesterol (CS), jasmonic acid (JA), and gibberellic acid 3 (GA3)) contents measured in the seedlings, it could be concluded that melatonin induced changes in the intrinsic hormone metabolic network, which promoted seedling growth. Thus, this study identified new candidate genes and pathways active during the interactions between melatonin and salt stress, which provide clues for disclosing melatonin's function in resistance to salt injury. Our results contribute to developing a practical method for sustainable agriculture on saline lands.
Keywords: Brassica napus L.; hormone; melatonin; salt stress; seedling stage; transcriptome variation.