Integrated comparative physiological and transcriptomic analyses of Elymus sibiricus L. reveal the similarities and differences in the molecular mechanisms in response to drought and cold stress

Xinrui Li; Lili Chen; Daxu Li; Minghong You; Yingzhu Li; Lijun Yan; Jiajun Yan; Wenlong Gou; Dan Chang; Xiao Ma; Shiqie Bai; Yan Peng

doi:10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.109459

Integrated comparative physiological and transcriptomic analyses of Elymus sibiricus L. reveal the similarities and differences in the molecular mechanisms in response to drought and cold stress

Plant Physiol Biochem. 2024 Dec 26:219:109459. doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.109459. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xinrui Li¹, Lili Chen², Daxu Li³, Minghong You³, Yingzhu Li³, Lijun Yan³, Jiajun Yan⁴, Wenlong Gou⁴, Dan Chang³, Xiao Ma⁵, Shiqie Bai⁶, Yan Peng⁷

Affiliations

¹ College of Grassland Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China; School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621010, China; Sichuan Academy of Grassland Science, Chengdu, 610097, China.
² Sichuan Provincial Work Station of Grassland, Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Forestry and Grassland, Chengdu, 610081, China.
³ Sichuan Academy of Grassland Science, Chengdu, 610097, China.
⁴ School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621010, China.
⁵ College of Grassland Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.
⁶ School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621010, China. Electronic address: baishiqie@126.com.
⁷ College of Grassland Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China. Electronic address: pengyanlee@163.com.

PMID: 39736257
DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.109459

Abstract

Drought and cold crucially affect plant growth and distribution. Plants have evolved complex molecular mechanisms to adapt to such adverse environmental conditions. This study examines two Elymus sibiricus (Es) germplasms differing in resilience to these stresses. Analyzing physiological responses and gene expression changes under drought and cold, it reveals the similarities and differences in their molecular mechanisms that underlie these responses. The results indicate that both drought stress and cold stress severely damage the integrity of the cell membrane in Es. Notably, under cold stress, the accumulation of osmotic regulation substances in Es is more significant, which may be related to the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism (CM)-related genes in cold environments. Furthermore, the response to oxidative stress triggered by cold stress in Es is partially inhibited. The enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs responsive to drought stress in Es were mainly related to the pathway of photosynthesis, whereas the DEGs responsive to cold stress were more associated with the protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum (PPER), highlighting distinct molecular responses. In addition, we discovered that the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling transduction plays a dominant role in mediating the drought resistance mechanism of Es. We have identified 86 key candidate genes related to photosynthesis, Phst, CM, and PPER, including 5 genes that can respond to both drought and cold stress. This study provides a foundation for the molecular mechanisms underlying cold and drought resistance in Es, with insight into its future genetic improvement for stress resistance.

Keywords: Cold stress; Comparative transcriptomics; Drought stress; Elymus sibiricus; Physiological changes; WGCNA.