Industrial Crop Institute, Shanxi Agricultural University, Fenyang 032200, China.
School of Pharmacy, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Nov 17;25(22):12342. doi: 10.3390/ijms252212342.
Seed germination is a fundamental process in plant reproduction, and it involves a series of complex physiological mechanisms. The germination rate of (AM) seeds is significantly lower under natural conditions. To investigate the key genes associated with AM seed germination, seeds from AM plants were collected at 0, 12, 24, and 48 h for a transcriptomic analysis, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and machine learning (ML) analysis. The primary pathways involved in AM seed germination include plant-pathogen interactions and plant hormone signaling. Four key genes were identified through the WGCNA and ML: Cluster-28,554.0, FAS4, T10O24.10, and EPSIN2. These findings were validated using real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR), and results from RNA sequencing demonstrated a high degree of concordance. This study reveals, for the first time, the key genes related to AM seed germination, providing potential gene targets for further research. The discovery of N4-acetylcysteine (ac4C) modification during seed germination not only enhances our understanding of plant ac4C but also offers valuable insights for future functional research and application exploration.
种子萌发是植物繁殖的一个基本过程，涉及一系列复杂的生理机制。在自然条件下，丛枝菌根（AM）种子的萌发率显著较低。为了研究与 AM 种子萌发相关的关键基因，在 0、12、24 和 48 h 时收集 AM 植物的种子进行转录组分析、加权基因共表达网络分析（WGCNA）和机器学习（ML）分析。参与 AM 种子萌发的主要途径包括植物-病原体相互作用和植物激素信号转导。通过 WGCNA 和 ML 鉴定出四个关键基因：Cluster-28,554.0、FAS4、T10O24.10 和 EPSIN2。使用实时定量逆转录 PCR（qRT-PCR）对这些发现进行了验证，RNA 测序的结果具有高度一致性。本研究首次揭示了与 AM 种子萌发相关的关键基因，为进一步的研究提供了潜在的基因靶点。在种子萌发过程中发现 N4-乙酰半胱氨酸（ac4C）修饰，不仅增强了我们对植物 ac4C 的理解，也为未来的功能研究和应用探索提供了有价值的见解。
