Abstract
Agarophyton vermiculophyllum is a commercially important red alga for agar production in the Northwest Pacific Ocean and is an invasive seaweed in Europe. High temperature is an important environmental stressor that influences its growth, metabolism, and migration. Nevertheless, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underpinning the response of A. vermiculophyllum to heat stress. Using RNA-sequencing, we performed the first comprehensive transcriptome analysis of A. vermiculophyllum under heat stress to explore and identify potentially important heat stress-responsive genes. After de novo assembly of the transcriptome, 55,486 unigenes were found, of which 39,687 unigenes (71.52%) were functionally annotated. In total, 2,923 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected between heat-stressed and control samples. Heat shock proteins represented the most abundant DEGs. Transcript factors were also significantly differently expressed under heat stress. Meanwhile, the photoprotective mechanism based on PsbS (Photosystem II subunit S) related nonphotochemical quenching and PGR5 (proton gradient regulation 5) dependent cyclic electron flow around photosystem I was found to be promoted under heat stress, which may help A. vermiculophyllum to cope with the high temperature. This study lays an important foundation for further elucidation of the molecular mechanism underlying heat tolerance in A. vermiculophyllum.
Funding source: Project of Shandong Province Higher Educational Science and Technology Program
Award Identifier / Grant number: J16LE13
Funding source: the earmarked fund for Modern Agro-industry Technology Research System in Shandong Province
Award Identifier / Grant number: (SDAIT-26)-03
About the authors
Feng Fu, Ocean School, Yantai University, No.30 Qingquan Road, Yantai, Shandong 264005, China hapiff@163.com
Feng Fu is a lecturer in Ocean School of Yantai University. She obtained her PhD in marine biology from Ocean University of China in 2014. She has done research on stress tolerance breeding of macroalgae. Recently, she has focused her research on the mechanisms of stress physiology and gene expression profiles in macroalgae.
Xia Zhang, College of Life Sciences, Yantai University, No.30 Qingquan Road, Yantai, Shandong 264005, China
Xia Zhang is an associate professor in College of Life Sciences of Yantai University. She obtained her PhD in crop genetics and breeding from China Agricultural University in 2007. Her research interest is plant stress physiology. Currently, she focuses her research on the gene expression profile in plants.
Xuejiao Zhang, Ocean School, Yantai University, No.30 Qingquan Road, Yantai, Shandong 264005, China
She is a senior majoring in fishery science and technology in Ocean School of Yantai University. She has been engaged in research since 2018. She has done some work on functional gene expression and photosynthetic physiology in algae.
Qianqian Li, Ocean School, Yantai University, No.30 Qingquan Road, Yantai, Shandong 264005, China
She is a senior majoring in fishery science and technology in Ocean School of Yantai University. She joined research in 2018. She has done some work on functional gene expression and stress physiology in algae.
Liqin Sun, College of Life Sciences, Yantai University, No.30 Qingquan Road, Yantai, Shandong 264005, China
Liqin Sun is a professor in College of Life Sciences of Yantai University. She has done research on bioactive substances from microalgae. Currently, her projects involve culture of marine economic macroalgae and microalgal biotechnology.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Shandong Province Higher Educational Science and Technology Program (J16LE13) and the Modern Agro-Industry Technology Research System in Shandong Province [(SDAIT-26)-03].
Author contribution: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: None declared.
Employment or leadership: None declared.
Honorarium: None declared.
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.
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