Abstract
Saline-alkali stress seriously affects the growth and development of crops. Sorghum bicolor (L.), a C4 plant, is an important cereal crop in the world, and its growth and geographical distribution are limited by alkali conditions. In this study, sorghum genotypes with different alkaline resistance (alkaline-sensitive Z1 and alkaline-tolerant Z14) were used as experimental materials to explore the effects of alkali on sorghum seedlings. RNA-seq technology was used to examine the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in alkali-tolerant Z14 to reveal the molecular mechanism of sorghum response to alkali stress. The results showed that plant height, root length, and biomass of both cultivars decreased with time under 80 mM NaHCO3 treatment, but Z14 showed better water retention abilities. The photosynthetic fluorescence parameters and chlorophyll content also decreased, but the Fv/Fm, ETH, ΦPSII, and chlorophyll content of Z14 were significantly higher than those of Z1. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased in both sorghum varieties under alkali stress, while the enzyme activities of SOD, POD, CAT, and APX were also significantly increased, especially in Z14, resulting in lower ROS compared with Z1. Transcriptome analysis revealed around 6000 DEGs in Z14 sorghum seedlings under alkali stress, among which 267 DEGs were expressed in all comparison groups. KEGG pathways were enriched in the MAPK signaling pathway, plant hormone signal transduction, and RNA transport. bHLHs, ERFs, NACs, MYBs, and other transcription factor families are actively involved in the response to alkali stress. A large number of genes involved in photosynthesis and the antioxidant system were found to be significantly activated under alkali stress. In the stress signal transduction cascades, Ca2+ signal transduction pathway-related genes were activated, about 23 PP2Cs in ABA signaling were upregulated, and multiple MAPK and other kinase-related genes were triggered by alkali stress. These findings will help decipher the response mechanism of sorghum to alkali stress and improve its alkali tolerance.
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Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
Plant height, root length, and biomass decreased over time under 80 mM NaHCO3 in both cultivars.
- Treatment
- 80 mM NaHCO3 treatmente0
- Outcome
- plant height, root length, and biomasse0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“plant height, root length, and biomass of both cultivars decreased with time under 80 mM NaHCO3 treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Z14 retained water better than Z1.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Z14 showed better water retention abilities”
Claim · model-written summary
Photosynthetic fluorescence parameters and chlorophyll content decreased under alkali treatment.
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“The photosynthetic fluorescence parameters and chlorophyll content also decreased”
Claim · model-written summary
Fv/Fm, ETH, ΦPSII, and chlorophyll content were significantly higher in Z14 than Z1.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“the Fv/Fm, ETH, ΦPSII, and chlorophyll content of Z14 were significantly higher than those of Z1”
Claim · model-written summary
ROS levels increased in both sorghum varieties under alkali stress.
SorghumNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased in both sorghum varieties under alkali stress”
Claim · model-written summary
SOD, POD, CAT, and APX activity increased significantly, especially in Z14.
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“the enzyme activities of SOD, POD, CAT, and APX were also significantly increased, especially in Z14”
Claim · model-written summary
Z14 had lower ROS than Z1.
Not reportedTaxonMaterial
Verbatim
e0“resulting in lower ROS compared with Z1”
Claim · model-written summary
Transcriptome analysis identified around 6000 differentially expressed genes in stressed Z14 seedlings.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Transcriptome analysis revealed around 6000 DEGs in Z14 sorghum seedlings under alkali stress”
Claim · model-written summary
Among these, 267 DEGs occurred in all comparison groups.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“267 DEGs were expressed in all comparison groups”
Claim · model-written summary
MAPK signaling, plant hormone signal transduction, and RNA transport pathways were enriched.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“KEGG pathways were enriched in the MAPK signaling pathway, plant hormone signal transduction, and RNA transport”
Claim · model-written summary
bHLHs, ERFs, NACs, and MYBs were actively involved in alkali response.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“bHLHs, ERFs, NACs, MYBs, and other transcription factor families are actively involved in the response to alkali stress”
Claim · model-written summary
Many photosynthesis and antioxidant genes were significantly activated under alkali stress.
- Treatment
- alkali stresse0
- Outcome
- genes involved in photosynthesis and the antioxidant systeme0
- Direction
- activatede0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“A large number of genes involved in photosynthesis and the antioxidant system were found to be significantly activated under alkali stress”
Claim · model-written summary
Ca2+ signal transduction pathway genes were activated.
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“Ca2+ signal transduction pathway-related genes were activated”
Claim · model-written summary
About 23 ABA-signaling PP2Cs were upregulated.
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“about 23 PP2Cs in ABA signaling were upregulated”
Claim · model-written summary
Multiple MAPK and other kinase genes were triggered by alkali stress.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“multiple MAPK and other kinase-related genes were triggered by alkali stress”
The same questions in other papers
alkalinity · physiology: oxidative · SorghumResults agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- negative
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.