Transcriptome Analysis Revealed the Key Genes and Pathways Involved in Seed Germination of Maize Tolerant to Deep-Sowing
Yang Wang,
Jinna He,
Haotian Ye,
Mingquan Ding,
Feiwang Xu,
Rong Wu,
Fucheng Zhao,
Guangwu Zhao
Affiliations
Yang Wang
The Key Laboratory of Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Science, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Jinna He
The Key Laboratory of Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Science, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Haotian Ye
The Key Laboratory of Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Science, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Mingquan Ding
The Key Laboratory of Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Science, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Feiwang Xu
The Key Laboratory of Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Science, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Rong Wu
The Key Laboratory of Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Science, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Fucheng Zhao
Institute of Maize and Featured Upland Crops, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Dongyang 322100, China
Guangwu Zhao
The Key Laboratory of Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Science, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China
To improve our understanding of the mechanism of maize seed germination under deep sowing, transcriptome sequencing and physiological metabolism analyses were performed using B73 embryos separated from ungerminated seeds (UG) or seeds germinated for 2 d at a depth of 2 cm (normal sowing, NS) or 20 cm (deep sowing, DS). Gene ontology (GO) analysis indicated that “response to oxidative stress” and “monolayer-surrounded lipid storage body” were the most significant GO terms in up- and down-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of DS. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis suggested that “phenylpropanoid biosynthesis” and “starch and sucrose metabolism” were critical processes in maize seed germination under deep-sowing conditions. Consistent with DEGs, the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidases and α-amylase, as well as the contents of gibberellin 4, indole acetic acid, zeatin and abscisic acid were significantly increased, while the jasmonic-acid level was dramatically reduced under deep-sowing stress. The expressions of six candidate genes were more significantly upregulated in B73 (deep-sowing-tolerant) than in Mo17 (deep-sowing-sensitive) at 20 cm sowing depth. These findings enrich our knowledge of the key biochemical pathways and genes regulating maize seed germination under deep-sowing conditions, which may help in the breeding of varieties tolerant to deep sowing.
