Anther dehiscence releases pollen and therefore is a key event in plant sexual reproduction. Although anther dehiscence has been intensively studied in some plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana and rice (Oryza sativa), the molecular mechanism of anther dehiscence in eggplant (Solanum melongena) is largely unknown. To provide insight into this mechanism, we used RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) to analyze the transcriptomic profiles of one natural male-fertile line (F142) and two male-sterile lines (S12 and S13). We assembled 88,414 unigenes and identified 3446 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). GO and KEGG analysis indicated that these DEGs were mainly involved in “metabolic process”, “catalytic activity”, “biosynthesis of amino acids”, and “carbon metabolism”. The present study provides comprehensive transcriptomic profiles of eggplants that do and do not undergo anther dehiscence, and identifies a number of genes and pathways associated with anther dehiscence. The information deepens our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of anther dehiscence in eggplant.

花药开裂释放花粉，因此是植物有性繁殖的关键事件。尽管在一些植物如拟南芥和水稻 ( Oryza sativa ) 中对花药开裂进行了深入研究，但茄子 ( Solanum melongena ) 花药开裂的分子机制) 在很大程度上是未知的。为了深入了解这种机制，我们使用 RNA 测序 (RNA-seq) 分析了一个天然雄性可育系 (F142) 和两个雄性不育系 (S12 和 S13) 的转录组谱。我们组装了 88,414 个 unigenes 并鉴定了 3446 个差异表达基因 (DEG)。GO和KEGG分析表明，这些DEGs主要参与“代谢过程”、“催化活性”、“氨基酸的生物合成”和“碳代谢”。本研究提供了进行和不经历花药开裂的茄子的综合转录组谱，并确定了与花药开裂相关的许多基因和途径。这些信息加深了我们对茄子花药开裂分子机制的理解。