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Transcriptome analysis of wheat seedling and spike tissues in the hybrid Jingmai 8 uncovered genes involved in heterosis

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Abstract

Main conclusion

Transcriptome analysis was carried out for wheat seedlings and spikes from hybrid Jingmai 8 and both inbred lines to unravel mechanisms underlying heterosis.

Heterosis, known as one of the most successful strategies for increasing crop yield, has been widely exploited in plant breeding systems. Despite its great importance, the molecular mechanism underlying heterosis remains elusive. In the present study, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on the seedling and spike tissues of the wheat (Triticum aestivum) hybrid Jingmai 8 (JM8) and its homozygous parents to unravel the underlying mechanisms of wheat heterosis. In total, 1686 and 2334 genes were identified as differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the hybrid and the two inbred lines in seedling and spike tissues, respectively. Gene Ontology analysis revealed that DEGs from seedling tissues were significantly enriched in processes involved in photosynthesis and carbon fixation, and the majority of these DEGs expressed at a higher level in JM8 compared to both inbred lines. In addition, cell wall biogenesis and protein biosynthesis-related pathways were also significantly represented. These results confirmed that a combination of different pathways could contribute to heterosis. The DEGs between the hybrid and the two inbred progenitors from the spike tissues were significantly enriched in biological processes related to transcription, RNA biosynthesis and molecular function categories related to transcription factor activities. Furthermore, transcription factors such as NAC, ERF, and TIF-IIA were highly expressed in the hybrid JM8. These results may provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying wheat heterosis.

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Abbreviations

BAE:

Biallelic expression

DEGs:

Differentially expressed genes

ELD:

Expression-level dominance

GO:

Gene Ontology

JM8:

Jingmai 8

MAE:

Monoallelic expression

MPV:

Mid-parental value

NAGs:

Non-additive genes

PAE:

Preferallelic expression

TGMS:

Thermosensitive genic male sterile

TY806:

Taiyuan 806

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge financial support from Beijing Postdoctoral Research Foundation, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences Postdoctoral Research Foundation, National Natural Science Foundation of China (31571641, 31171172), Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation (6162009), and Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences Reserve Program (KJCX20170421).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Beijing Engineering Research Center for Hybrid Wheat, The Municipal Key Laboratory of the Molecular Genetics of Hybrid Wheat, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, 100097, China

      Yong-jie Liu, Shi-qing Gao, Yi-miao Tang, Jie Gong, Yong-bo Wang, Li-ping Zhang, Ren-wei Sun, Zhao-bo Chen, Sheng-quan Zhang, Feng-ting Zhang, Jian-gang Gao, Hui Sun, Wei-bing Yang, Wei-wei Wang & Chang-ping Zhao

    2. Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, 100036, China

      Ren-wei Sun

    3. Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024, China

      Xiao Zhang

    4. Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, China

      Quan Zhang

    5. Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China

      Xiang Wang

    6. Yangtze University, Jingzhou, 434023, China

      Cai-juan Guo

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    1. Yong-jie Liu
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    Yong-jie Liu, Shi-qing Gao, and Yi-miao Tang have contributed equally to this work

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    Liu, Yj., Gao, Sq., Tang, Ym. et al. Transcriptome analysis of wheat seedling and spike tissues in the hybrid Jingmai 8 uncovered genes involved in heterosis. Planta 247, 1307–1321 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-018-2848-3

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