Transcriptome and Physio-Biochemical Profiling Reveals Differentially Expressed Genes in Seedlings from Aerial and Subterranean Seeds Subjected to Drought Stress in <i>Amphicarpaea edgeworthii</i> Benth

Drought stress represents a prevalent environmental challenge that significantly impedes plant growth. The Chinese hog-peanut (<i>Amphicarpaea edgeworthii</i> Benth.), an amphicarpic legume, can produce both aerial seeds (ASs) and subterranean seeds (SSs). However, it is largely unknown...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jiancheng Kou, Yue Su, Tianyu Lei, Siqi Hou, Jiali Tian, Minglong Li, Shuzhen Zhang, Xiaodong Ding, Qiang Li, Jialei Xiao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Agronomy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/735
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850093673959653376
author Jiancheng Kou
Yue Su
Tianyu Lei
Siqi Hou
Jiali Tian
Minglong Li
Shuzhen Zhang
Xiaodong Ding
Qiang Li
Jialei Xiao
author_facet Jiancheng Kou
Yue Su
Tianyu Lei
Siqi Hou
Jiali Tian
Minglong Li
Shuzhen Zhang
Xiaodong Ding
Qiang Li
Jialei Xiao
author_sort Jiancheng Kou
collection DOAJ
description Drought stress represents a prevalent environmental challenge that significantly impedes plant growth. The Chinese hog-peanut (<i>Amphicarpaea edgeworthii</i> Benth.), an amphicarpic legume, can produce both aerial seeds (ASs) and subterranean seeds (SSs). However, it is largely unknown whether there are differences between the seedlings from ASs and SSs in response to drought stress. In this study, the 30-day old AS and SS seedlings of <i>A. edgeworthii</i> are subjected to drought stress by withholding watering for five or ten days. Then, we identify the morphological and physio-biochemical characteristics of seedlings from both ASs and SSs under drought stress. Following ten days of drought treatment, the contents of proline (PRO) and malondialdehyde (MDA), the root shoot ratio, and the rate of water loss were significantly increased, whereas the chlorophyll content and the relative water content were significantly decreased in both AS and SS seedlings. Moreover, compared to AS seedlings, SS seedlings accumulated more hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) while exhibiting significantly lower peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities after exposure to ten days of drought stress. These findings indicate that SS seedlings are more susceptible to drought stress. To identify drought-associated genes and reveal the mechanisms underlying drought adaptability in AS and SS seedlings, we performed an RNA-seq-based transcriptomic analysis in AS and SS seedlings exposed to drought stress. We identified 1317 and 2029 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in AS seedlings five and ten days post-drought treatment, respectively, and 1793 DEGs in SS seedlings ten days post-drought treatment compared to the normal treatment (CK). These DEGs were commonly enriched in response-related GO terms. Furthermore, hundreds of transcription factor (TF) genes were identified among the DEGs in AS and SS seedlings after drought treatment. Notably, the ERF, bHLH, NAC, and C2H2 families were predominant in AS seedlings five days following drought treatment, while the bHLH, ERF, MYB-related, and WRKY families were prevalent in both AS and SS seedlings ten days following drought treatment. These findings suggest that the identified TFs may play crucial roles in the response of AS and SS seedlings of <i>A. edgeworthii</i> to drought stress.
format Article
id doaj-art-4d3786d3f83447d4b26fe1ec2c8080f0
institution DOAJ
issn 2073-4395
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Agronomy
spelling doaj-art-4d3786d3f83447d4b26fe1ec2c8080f02025-08-20T02:41:51ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-03-0115373510.3390/agronomy15030735Transcriptome and Physio-Biochemical Profiling Reveals Differentially Expressed Genes in Seedlings from Aerial and Subterranean Seeds Subjected to Drought Stress in <i>Amphicarpaea edgeworthii</i> BenthJiancheng Kou0Yue Su1Tianyu Lei2Siqi Hou3Jiali Tian4Minglong Li5Shuzhen Zhang6Xiaodong Ding7Qiang Li8Jialei Xiao9Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biological Functional Genes, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Biological Functional Genes, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Biological Functional Genes, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Biological Functional Genes, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Biological Functional Genes, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Biological Functional Genes, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, ChinaKey Laboratory of Soybean Biology of Chinese Education Ministry, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Biological Functional Genes, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Biological Functional Genes, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Biological Functional Genes, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, ChinaDrought stress represents a prevalent environmental challenge that significantly impedes plant growth. The Chinese hog-peanut (<i>Amphicarpaea edgeworthii</i> Benth.), an amphicarpic legume, can produce both aerial seeds (ASs) and subterranean seeds (SSs). However, it is largely unknown whether there are differences between the seedlings from ASs and SSs in response to drought stress. In this study, the 30-day old AS and SS seedlings of <i>A. edgeworthii</i> are subjected to drought stress by withholding watering for five or ten days. Then, we identify the morphological and physio-biochemical characteristics of seedlings from both ASs and SSs under drought stress. Following ten days of drought treatment, the contents of proline (PRO) and malondialdehyde (MDA), the root shoot ratio, and the rate of water loss were significantly increased, whereas the chlorophyll content and the relative water content were significantly decreased in both AS and SS seedlings. Moreover, compared to AS seedlings, SS seedlings accumulated more hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) while exhibiting significantly lower peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities after exposure to ten days of drought stress. These findings indicate that SS seedlings are more susceptible to drought stress. To identify drought-associated genes and reveal the mechanisms underlying drought adaptability in AS and SS seedlings, we performed an RNA-seq-based transcriptomic analysis in AS and SS seedlings exposed to drought stress. We identified 1317 and 2029 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in AS seedlings five and ten days post-drought treatment, respectively, and 1793 DEGs in SS seedlings ten days post-drought treatment compared to the normal treatment (CK). These DEGs were commonly enriched in response-related GO terms. Furthermore, hundreds of transcription factor (TF) genes were identified among the DEGs in AS and SS seedlings after drought treatment. Notably, the ERF, bHLH, NAC, and C2H2 families were predominant in AS seedlings five days following drought treatment, while the bHLH, ERF, MYB-related, and WRKY families were prevalent in both AS and SS seedlings ten days following drought treatment. These findings suggest that the identified TFs may play crucial roles in the response of AS and SS seedlings of <i>A. edgeworthii</i> to drought stress.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/735Chinese hog-peanut (<i>Amphicarpaea edgeworthii</i> Benth.)drought stressRNA-seqdifferentially expressed genes (DEGs)transcription factor
spellingShingle Jiancheng Kou
Yue Su
Tianyu Lei
Siqi Hou
Jiali Tian
Minglong Li
Shuzhen Zhang
Xiaodong Ding
Qiang Li
Jialei Xiao
Transcriptome and Physio-Biochemical Profiling Reveals Differentially Expressed Genes in Seedlings from Aerial and Subterranean Seeds Subjected to Drought Stress in <i>Amphicarpaea edgeworthii</i> Benth
Agronomy
Chinese hog-peanut (<i>Amphicarpaea edgeworthii</i> Benth.)
drought stress
RNA-seq
differentially expressed genes (DEGs)
transcription factor
title Transcriptome and Physio-Biochemical Profiling Reveals Differentially Expressed Genes in Seedlings from Aerial and Subterranean Seeds Subjected to Drought Stress in <i>Amphicarpaea edgeworthii</i> Benth
title_full Transcriptome and Physio-Biochemical Profiling Reveals Differentially Expressed Genes in Seedlings from Aerial and Subterranean Seeds Subjected to Drought Stress in <i>Amphicarpaea edgeworthii</i> Benth
title_fullStr Transcriptome and Physio-Biochemical Profiling Reveals Differentially Expressed Genes in Seedlings from Aerial and Subterranean Seeds Subjected to Drought Stress in <i>Amphicarpaea edgeworthii</i> Benth
title_full_unstemmed Transcriptome and Physio-Biochemical Profiling Reveals Differentially Expressed Genes in Seedlings from Aerial and Subterranean Seeds Subjected to Drought Stress in <i>Amphicarpaea edgeworthii</i> Benth
title_short Transcriptome and Physio-Biochemical Profiling Reveals Differentially Expressed Genes in Seedlings from Aerial and Subterranean Seeds Subjected to Drought Stress in <i>Amphicarpaea edgeworthii</i> Benth
title_sort transcriptome and physio biochemical profiling reveals differentially expressed genes in seedlings from aerial and subterranean seeds subjected to drought stress in i amphicarpaea edgeworthii i benth
topic Chinese hog-peanut (<i>Amphicarpaea edgeworthii</i> Benth.)
drought stress
RNA-seq
differentially expressed genes (DEGs)
transcription factor
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/735
work_keys_str_mv AT jianchengkou transcriptomeandphysiobiochemicalprofilingrevealsdifferentiallyexpressedgenesinseedlingsfromaerialandsubterraneanseedssubjectedtodroughtstressiniamphicarpaeaedgeworthiiibenth
AT yuesu transcriptomeandphysiobiochemicalprofilingrevealsdifferentiallyexpressedgenesinseedlingsfromaerialandsubterraneanseedssubjectedtodroughtstressiniamphicarpaeaedgeworthiiibenth
AT tianyulei transcriptomeandphysiobiochemicalprofilingrevealsdifferentiallyexpressedgenesinseedlingsfromaerialandsubterraneanseedssubjectedtodroughtstressiniamphicarpaeaedgeworthiiibenth
AT siqihou transcriptomeandphysiobiochemicalprofilingrevealsdifferentiallyexpressedgenesinseedlingsfromaerialandsubterraneanseedssubjectedtodroughtstressiniamphicarpaeaedgeworthiiibenth
AT jialitian transcriptomeandphysiobiochemicalprofilingrevealsdifferentiallyexpressedgenesinseedlingsfromaerialandsubterraneanseedssubjectedtodroughtstressiniamphicarpaeaedgeworthiiibenth
AT minglongli transcriptomeandphysiobiochemicalprofilingrevealsdifferentiallyexpressedgenesinseedlingsfromaerialandsubterraneanseedssubjectedtodroughtstressiniamphicarpaeaedgeworthiiibenth
AT shuzhenzhang transcriptomeandphysiobiochemicalprofilingrevealsdifferentiallyexpressedgenesinseedlingsfromaerialandsubterraneanseedssubjectedtodroughtstressiniamphicarpaeaedgeworthiiibenth
AT xiaodongding transcriptomeandphysiobiochemicalprofilingrevealsdifferentiallyexpressedgenesinseedlingsfromaerialandsubterraneanseedssubjectedtodroughtstressiniamphicarpaeaedgeworthiiibenth
AT qiangli transcriptomeandphysiobiochemicalprofilingrevealsdifferentiallyexpressedgenesinseedlingsfromaerialandsubterraneanseedssubjectedtodroughtstressiniamphicarpaeaedgeworthiiibenth
AT jialeixiao transcriptomeandphysiobiochemicalprofilingrevealsdifferentiallyexpressedgenesinseedlingsfromaerialandsubterraneanseedssubjectedtodroughtstressiniamphicarpaeaedgeworthiiibenth