Sugarcane Pan-Transcriptome Identifying a Master Gene ScHCT Regulating Lignin and Sugar Traits

Area of Science:

• Plant genomics
• Molecular biology
• Agricultural science

Background:

• Sugarcane possesses the world's most complex polyploid genome.
• Sugar content is a key trait in sugarcane breeding.
• A comprehensive pan-transcriptome is crucial for sugarcane genetic and omics studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct the first comprehensive pan-transcriptome for sugarcane.
• To identify novel genes and analyze gene expression patterns.
• To discover candidate genes influencing sugar content.

Main Methods:

• Pan-transcriptome construction and analysis.
• Identification of open reading frames (ORFs).
• Yeast two-hybrid assays and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC).
• Functional validation in *Arabidopsis*.

Main Results:

• 8434 novel, highly reliable ORFs were identified.
• Core, dispensable, high-, and low-expression gene clusters were analyzed.
• Nine key candidate genes, including *ScHCT*, were identified for sugar content.
• *ScHCT* negatively correlated with sugar and positively with lignin.
• ScABH identified as an interaction protein of ScHCT.
• *Arabidopsis* *abh* mutants showed reduced sucrose content.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a valuable sugarcane pan-transcriptome resource.
• Identified genes offer insights into sugar and lignin biosynthesis.
• This research supports sugarcane genetic improvement and breeding programs.