Global Landscape of Alternative Splicing in Maize Response to Low Temperature

Maize (Zea mays L.) is an important food crop planted across the world, and low-temperature stress can affect maize germination. Alternative splicing (AS) is widely present in plants under abiotic stress; however, the response of AS to low-temperature stress in maize remains unclear. In this study, a genome-wide analysis of AS during maize response to low temperatures was performed. AS events were distributed on each chromosome, approximately 2.05-2.09 AS events per gene. Seven genes only had AS in low-temperature-resistant inbred lines. A total of 278 KEGGs and 46 GOs were enriched based on overlapping AS genes, which were associated with hormone and oxidoreductase activity. The mutant was used to verify the function of AS gene ZmWRKY48, and the RGR, RSL, RRL, and RRSA of the mutant decreased by 15.16%-19.87% compared with the normal line. These results contribute to subsequent analysis of the regulatory mechanism of maize in response to low-temperature stress.