Deciphering signaling pathways and regulatory networks in wheat under drought stress via MetaRNA-seq
نویسندگان
1 Department of Plant Production, College of Agriculture Science and Natural Resources, Gonbad Kavous University, Gonbad Kavous, Iran.
2 Inland Water Aquaculture Research Center, Iranian Fisheries Science Research Institute, Agricultural, Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Bandar Anzali, Iran.
3 Department of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, Faculty of Plant Production, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran.
4 Department of Plant Production, College of Agriculture Science and Natural Resources, Gonbad Kavous University, Gonbad Kavous, Iran.
5 Department of Plant Production, College of Agriculture Science and Natural Resources, Gonbad Kavous University, Gonbad Kavous, Iran.
6 Department of Plant Production, College of Agriculture Science and Natural Resources, Gonbad Kavous University, Gonbad Kavous, Iran.
doi
10.30479/ijgpb.2026.22761.1403چکیده
Drought stress severely impacts wheat production. Individual RNA-seq studies, often limited to single cultivars or conditions, yield context-specific results that overlook conserved mechanisms. This study addresses this gap through an innovative MetaRNA-seq approach, integrating two public datasets (SRP235664 and SRP430233) from root tissues of drought-tolerant (Colotana, ZM366) and sensitive (Tincurrin, CM42) cultivars. Data underwent quality control, trimming, and alignment to the Triticum aestivum genome. Differential expression analysis was performed in CLC Workbench. Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG enrichment analyses were conducted via DAVID, with protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks constructed using STRING and analyzed in Cytoscape with CytoHubba for hub gene identification. The meta-analysis identified 2,453 high-confidence differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 367 annotated genes (157 upregulated, 210 downregulated) that formed PPI networks. Upregulated processes in tolerant cultivars included alternative respiration, carboxylic acid metabolism, MAPK signaling, and indole alkaloid biosynthesis, contributing to ROS mitigation and energy homeostasis. Sensitive cultivars showed downregulation of oxidative stress responses, hydrogen peroxide catabolism, flavonoid biosynthesis, and cell wall integrity. Hub genes highlighted regulatory networks in ABA/ROS signaling, such as upregulated ubiquitin-like proteins (A0A2X0SAV6), pectinesterase inhibitors (A0A3B6CD86), 4-coumarate-CoA ligases (A0A3B5ZVK3), and RuBisCO activases (W5ASP7_WHEAT); and downregulated aldehyde dehydrogenases (A0A3B5Y3C6), cytochrome P450s (A0A341ZFS3), and cinnamyl-alcohol dehydrogenases. These findings offer candidate genes for marker-assisted selection and genetic engineering to develop drought-resilient wheat, thereby enhancing agricultural sustainability under climate change.
