Chromatin Architectures Are Associated with Response to Dark Treatment in the Oil Crop Sesamum indicum, Based on a High-Quality Genome Assembly

Abstract

Eukaryotic chromatin is tightly packed into hierarchical structures, allowing appropriate gene transcription in response to environmental and developmental cues. Here, we provide a chromosome-scale de novo genome assembly of sesame with a total length of 292.3 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 20.5 Mb, containing estimated 28,406 coding genes using Pacific Biosciences long reads combined with a genome-wide chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) approach. Based on this high-quality reference genome, we detected changes in chromatin architectures between normal growth and dark-treated sesame seedlings. Gene expression level was significantly higher in 'A' compartment and topologically associated domain (TAD) boundary regions than in 'B' compartment and TAD interior regions, which is coincident with the enrichment of H4K3me3 modification in these regions. Moreover, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) induced by dark treated were enriched in the changed TAD-related regions and genomic differential contact regions. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of DEGs showed that genes related to 'response to stress' and 'photosynthesis' functional categories were enriched, which corresponds to dark treatment. These results suggested that chromatin organization is associated with gene transcription in response to dark treatment in sesame. Our results will facilitate the understanding of regulatory mechanisms in response to environmental cues in plants.

Keywords: Chromatin architecture; Dark treatment; Genome; Hi-C; Sesame.