Combined transcriptome sequencing reveals the photoperiod insensitivity mechanism of oats

Avena sativa L. is the most important cultivated oat species worldwide. Although photoperiod-insensitive oat varieties exist, the molecular mechanisms underlying their photoperiod sensitivity are poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of day length on the fioral transition of oats and the mechanisms underlying oat photoperiod insensitivity. Photoperiod-sensitive and photoperiod-insensitive varieties, including gp012, were used in shading experiments, and the developing leaves and main shoot apices (MSAs) of the HONGQI2 and gp012 varieties were used for sequencing. Leaves and MSAs were collected in 2016, and their transcriptomes were sequenced. The photoperiod-insensitive varieties headed under both short-day and long-day conditions, while the photoperiod-sensitive varieties headed only under long-day conditions. A total of 60673 transcript sequences were obtained, 7932 of which were differentially expressed; 3194 and 4738 transcripts were differentially expressed in the leaves and MSAs, respectively. A total of 25793 transcripts were classified into 123 pathways based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database. The carbon metabolism pathways were dominant, followed by ribosome and protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum. In addition, 203 transcripts were classified into the circadian rhythm pathway. Compared with the expression of pseudo-response regulator protein 37 (PRR37) in photoperiod-sensitive varieties, that in photoperiod-insensitive varieties was upregulated. Among the differentially expressed transcripts (DETs), 8 MADS-box genes were identified. PRR37 is a key regulator of oat photoperiod insensitivity. The obtained transcriptome dataset may provide a reference for analyzing oat transcript expression, and the results should be used as a reference for oat breeding and production.