Comparative Transcriptomics Analysis Reveals Genes Associated with a Dehiscent-Corolla Mutant in Sesame (Sesamum...

Area of Science:

• Plant Biology
• Genetics
• Agricultural Science

Background:

• Floral organ development is crucial for crop yield and quality.
• Molecular mechanisms of floral development in sesame are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the genetic basis of floral organ variation in sesame.
• Identify candidate genes involved in main and lateral floral organ development using comparative transcriptomics.

Main Methods:

• Comparative transcriptomic analysis between wild-type (Yuzhi11) and dehiscent-corolla mutant (css1) sesame.
• Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) to identify gene modules and hub genes.
• Characterization of regulatory and protein-protein interaction networks for identified hub genes.

Main Results:

• Identified 114 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between wild-type and mutant sesame.
• Pinpointed 47 candidate genes associated with main/lateral floral organ development.
• Discovered two significant gene modules and five hub genes for each module related to mutant floral development.

Conclusions:

• Provided new insights into the genetic regulation of flower and fruit development in sesame.
• Identified potential genetic targets for optimizing floral and yield-related traits in sesame breeding programs.