AUTHOR=Yang Ruirui , Li Xiaoshuang , Yang Qilin , Zhao Mingqi , Bai Wenwan , Liang Yuqing , Liu Xiujin , Gao Bei , Zhang Daoyuan 

TITLE=Transcriptional profiling analysis providing insights into desiccation tolerance mechanisms of the desert moss Syntrichia caninervis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1127541

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2023.1127541

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Syntrichia caninervis</italic> is a desiccation tolerant moss and is the dominant bryophyte found in biological soil crusts in the Gurbantunggut desert. In this study, we assessed the transcriptome profiles of <italic>S. caninervis</italic> gametophytes during the dehydration-rehydration (D-R) process (across 9 time points) using Illumina sequencing. In total, 22489 transcripts were identified, including 5337 novel transcripts, that mapped to the reference genome. A total of 12548 transcripts exhibited significant alterations in the D-R samples compared with the control samples. The differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) possessed several enriched Gene Ontology terms, such as “water stress response”, “oxidation-reduction process”, “membrane metabolism”, “photosynthesis”, and “transcription factor activity”. Moreover, during early dehydration stress, the DETs were significantly enriched in stress-related pathways from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, such as “phenylpropanoid biosynthesis”, “alpha-linolenic acid metabolism”, and “fructose and mannose metabolism”. Photosynthesis-related transcripts (e.g., <italic>ScPsa H</italic>, <italic>ScRubisco</italic>, and <italic>ScLhcb1</italic>) were inhibited during the dehydration treatment and significantly accumulated during the late rehydration period. Most transcripts from the late embryogenesis abundant proteins (<italic>LEA</italic>) and early light-inducible protein (<italic>ELIP</italic>) families strongly accumulated at the late dehydration stage. These pathways were positively correlated with the content changes of absolute water content and <italic>Fv/Fm</italic> values, alongside peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities. Seven transcription factor families, including <italic>AP2-ERF</italic>, <italic>bHLH</italic>, <italic>G2-like</italic>, <italic>MYB, NAC</italic>, <italic>WRKY</italic>, and <italic>bZIP</italic>, were enriched in DETs during D-R treatment. This study is the first transcriptome analysis using the <italic>S. caninervis</italic> genome for gene annotation and multigroup D-R treatment points. Our results demonstrated the detailed dynamic changes in the transcriptome of <italic>S. caninervis</italic> during the D-R process. These results also improve understanding of desiccation tolerant plants’ adaptations to desiccation stress at the transcription level and provide promising gene resources for transgenic crop breeding.</p>