Transcriptional analysis of Rhazya stricta in response to jasmonic acid

Nahid H. Hajrah, Samar O. Rabah, Mohammed K. Alghamdi, Ahmed Atef, Sherif Edris, Alawiah M. Alhebshi, Sabah M. Hassan, Dhafer A. Alzahrani, Ahmed Bahieldin, Mohammed H. Z. Mutwakil, Yaser E. Alqurashi, Hassan S. Al-Zahrani, Salah E. M. Abo-Aba, Robert K. Jansen, Jamal S. M. Sabir, Neil Hall, Majid Rasool Kamli

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Abstract

Background: Jasmonic acid (JA) is a signal transducer molecule that plays an important role in plant development and stress response; it can also efficiently stimulate secondary metabolism in plant cells. Results: RNA-Seq technology was applied to identify differentially expressed genes and study the time course of gene expression in Rhazya stricta in response to JA. Of more than 288 million total reads, approximately 27% were mapped to genes in the reference genome. Genes involved during the secondary metabolite pathways were up- or downregulated when treated with JA in R. stricta. Functional annotation and pathway analysis of all up- and downregulated genes identified many biological processes and molecular functions. Jasmonic acid biosynthetic, cell wall organization, and chlorophyll metabolic processes were upregulated at days 2, 6, and 12, respectively. Similarly, the molecular functions of calcium-transporting ATPase activity, ADP binding, and protein kinase activity were also upregulated at days 2, 6, and 12, respectively. Time-dependent transcriptional gene expression analysis showed that JA can induce signaling in the phenylpropanoid and aromatic acid pathways. These pathways are responsible for the production of secondary metabolites, which are essential for the development and environmental defense mechanism of R. stricta during stress conditions. Conclusions: Our results suggested that genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis and aromatic acid synthesis pathways were upregulated during JA stress. However, monoterpenoid indole alkaloid (MIA) was unaffected by JA treatment. Hence, we can postulate that JA plays an important role in R. stricta during plant development and environmental stress conditions. How to cite: Hajrah, NH, Rabah SO, Alghamdi MK, et al. Transcriptional analysis of Rhazya stricta in response to jasmonic acid. Electron J Biotechnol 2021;50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2021.01.004

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)68-76
Number of pages9
JournalElectronic Journal of Biotechnology
Volume50
Early online date4 Feb 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2021

Keywords

  • Environmental stress
  • Flavonoid biosynthesis
  • Gene expression
  • Jasmonic acid
  • Monoterpenoid indole alkaloid
  • Phenylpropanoid aromatic acid pathway
  • Rhazya stricta
  • RNA sequencing
  • Transcriptional gene expression analysis
  • Transcriptome

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