Excavation of Genes Responsive to Brassinosteroids by Transcriptome Sequencing in Adiantum flabellulatum Gametophytes

Zeping Cai; Zhenyu Xie; Xiaochen Wang; Shuixian Zhang; Qian Wu; Xudong Yu; Yi Guo; Shuyi Gao; Yunge Zhang; Shitao Xu; Honggang Wang; Jiajia Luo

doi:10.3390/genes13061061

Excavation of Genes Responsive to Brassinosteroids by Transcriptome Sequencing in Adiantum flabellulatum Gametophytes

Genes (Basel). 2022 Jun 14;13(6):1061. doi: 10.3390/genes13061061.

Authors

Zeping Cai¹, Zhenyu Xie¹, Xiaochen Wang¹, Shuixian Zhang¹, Qian Wu², Xudong Yu³, Yi Guo¹, Shuyi Gao¹, Yunge Zhang², Shitao Xu⁴, Honggang Wang², Jiajia Luo⁵

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Genetics and Germplasm Innovation of Tropical Special Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
² College of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Germplasm Resources Biology of Tropical Special Ornamental Plants of Hainan Province, College of Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
⁴ College of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
⁵ Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China.

Abstract

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a class of polyhydroxysteroid plant hormones; they play important roles in the development and stress resistance of plants. The research on BRs has mainly been carried out in angiosperms, but in ferns-research is still limited to the physiological level and is not in-depth. In this study, Adiantum flabellulatum gametophytes were used as materials and treated with 10^-6 M brassinolide (BL). The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) responsive to BRs were identified by transcriptome sequencing, GO, KEGG analysis, as well as a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. From this, a total of 8394 DEGs were screened. We found that the expressions of photosynthetic genes were widely inhibited by high concentrations of BL in A. flabellulatum gametophytes. Moreover, we detected many BR synthase genes, except BR6ox2, which may be why castasterone (CS) rather than BL was detected in ferns. Additionally, we identified (for the first time) that the expressions of BR synthase genes (CYP90B1, CYP90C1, CYP90D1, CPD, and BR6ox1) were negatively regulated by BL in fern gametophytes, which indicated that ferns, including gametophytes, also needed the regulatory mechanism for maintaining BR homeostasis. Based on transcriptome sequencing, this study can provide a large number of gene expression data for BRs regulating the development of fern gametophytes.

Keywords: brassinosteroids synthesis; ferns; negative feedback regulation; photosynthesis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adiantum* / genetics
Adiantum* / metabolism
Arabidopsis Proteins* / genetics
Arabidopsis* / genetics
Brassinosteroids / metabolism
Brassinosteroids / pharmacology
Germ Cells, Plant
Transcriptome / genetics

Substances

Arabidopsis Proteins
Brassinosteroids

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 321QN316; no. 319MS017), the Central Public-Interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund for CATAS (no. 1630032021016), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 31660229), the Hainan University Scientific Research Startup Fund Project (no. kyqd1620), and the National innovation and entrepreneurship training program for college students of Hainan University (SA2000008501).