Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Key Seed-Development Genes in Common Buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum )

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2019-09, Vol.20 (17), p.4303
• Main Authors: Li, Hongyou, Lv, Qiuyu, Deng, Jiao, Huang, Juan, Cai, Fang, Liang, Chenggang, Chen, Qijiao, Wang, Yan, Zhu, Liwei, Zhang, Xiaona, Chen, Qingfu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Annotations; Buckwheat; Calcium ions; Calcium signalling; Cell division; common buckwheat; DEGs; Endoplasmic reticulum; Fagopyrum - genetics; Fagopyrum - growth & development; Fagopyrum esculentum; Gene expression; Gene Expression Profiling - methods; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant - genetics; Gene Ontology; Genes; Information processing; Investigations; Kinases; Metabolism; Molecular modelling; Morphogenesis; Physiology; Proteins; RNA-Seq; seed development; seed size; Seeds; Seeds - growth & development; Seeds - metabolism; Signal transduction; Sucrose; transcription factors; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms20174303

Seed development is an essential and complex process, which is involved in seed size change and various nutrients accumulation, and determines crop yield and quality. Common buckwheat ( Moench) is a widely cultivated minor crop with excellent economic and nutritional value in temperate zones. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms of seed development in common buckwheat ( ). In this study, we performed RNA-Seq to investigate the transcriptional dynamics and identify the key genes involved in common buckwheat seed development at three different developmental stages. A total of 4619 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Based on the results of Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG analysis of DEGs, many key genes involved in the seed development, including the Ca signal transduction pathway, the hormone signal transduction pathways, transcription factors (TFs), and starch biosynthesis-related genes, were identified. More importantly, 18 DEGs were identified as the key candidate genes for seed size through homologous query using the known seed size-related genes from different seed plants. Furthermore, 15 DEGs from these identified as the key genes of seed development were selected to confirm the validity of the data by using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and the results show high consistency with the RNA-Seq results. Taken together, our results revealed the underlying molecular mechanisms of common buckwheat seed development and could provide valuable information for further studies, especially for common buckwheat seed improvement.