Transcriptomic Analysis Provides Novel Insights into the Heat Stress-Induced Response in <i>Codonopsis tangshen</i>
Xiaogang Jiang,
Misganaw Wassie,
Wuxian Zhou,
Hua Wang,
Jinwen You,
Guangjing Ma,
Meide Zhang
Affiliations
Xiaogang Jiang
Key Laboratory of Biology and Cultivation of Herb Medicine, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Chinese Herbal Medicines, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Enshi 445000, China
Misganaw Wassie
CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Wuxian Zhou
Key Laboratory of Biology and Cultivation of Herb Medicine, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Chinese Herbal Medicines, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Enshi 445000, China
Hua Wang
Key Laboratory of Biology and Cultivation of Herb Medicine, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Chinese Herbal Medicines, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Enshi 445000, China
Jinwen You
Key Laboratory of Biology and Cultivation of Herb Medicine, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Chinese Herbal Medicines, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Enshi 445000, China
Guangjing Ma
CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Meide Zhang
Key Laboratory of Biology and Cultivation of Herb Medicine, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Chinese Herbal Medicines, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Enshi 445000, China
Codonopsis tangshen Oliv (C. tangshen) is a valuable traditional Chinese medicinal herb with tremendous health benefits. However, the growth and development of C. tangshen are seriously affected by high temperatures. Therefore, understanding the molecular responses of C. tangshen to high-temperature stress is imperative to improve its thermotolerance. Here, RNA-Seq analysis was performed to investigate the genome-wide transcriptional changes in C. tangshen in response to short-term heat stress. Heat stress significantly damages membrane stability and chlorophyll biosynthesis in C. tangshen, as evidenced by pronounced malonaldehyde (MDA), electrolyte leakage (EL), and reduced chlorophyll content. Transcriptome analysis showed that 2691 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 1809 upregulated and 882 downregulated. Functional annotations revealed that the DEGs were mainly related to heat shock proteins (HSPs), ROS-scavenging enzymes, calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPK), HSP-HSP network, hormone signaling transduction pathway, and transcription factors such as bHLHs, bZIPs, MYBs, WRKYs, and NACs. These heat-responsive candidate genes and TFs could significantly regulate heat stress tolerance in C. tangshen. Overall, this study could provide new insights for understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms of thermotolerance in C. tangshen.
