Similar Transcriptomic Responses to Early and Late Drought Stresses Produce Divergent Phenotypes in Sunflower (<i>Helianthus annuus</i> L.)
Cultivated sunflower (<i>Helianthus annuus</i> L.) exhibits numerous phenotypic and transcriptomic responses to drought. However, the ways in which these responses vary with differences in drought timing and severity are insufficiently understood. We used phenotypic and transcriptomic da...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/11/9351 |
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| author | Garrett M. Janzen Emily L. Dittmar Nicolas B. Langlade Nicolas Blanchet Lisa A. Donovan Andries A. Temme John M. Burke |
| author_facet | Garrett M. Janzen Emily L. Dittmar Nicolas B. Langlade Nicolas Blanchet Lisa A. Donovan Andries A. Temme John M. Burke |
| author_sort | Garrett M. Janzen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cultivated sunflower (<i>Helianthus annuus</i> L.) exhibits numerous phenotypic and transcriptomic responses to drought. However, the ways in which these responses vary with differences in drought timing and severity are insufficiently understood. We used phenotypic and transcriptomic data to evaluate the response of sunflower to drought scenarios of different timing and severity in a common garden experiment. Using a semi-automated outdoor high-throughput phenotyping platform, we grew six oilseed sunflower lines under control and drought conditions. Our results reveal that similar transcriptomic responses can have disparate phenotypic effects when triggered at different developmental time points. Leaf transcriptomic responses, however, share similarities despite timing and severity differences (e.g., 523 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were shared across all treatments), though increased severity elicited greater differences in expression, particularly during vegetative growth. Across treatments, DEGs were highly enriched for genes related to photosynthesis and plastid maintenance. A co-expression analysis identified a single module (M8) enriched in all drought stress treatments. Genes related to drought, temperature, proline biosynthesis, and other stress responses were overrepresented in this module. In contrast to transcriptomic responses, phenotypic responses were largely divergent between early and late drought. Early-stressed sunflowers responded to drought with reduced overall growth, but became highly water-acquisitive during recovery irrigation, resulting in overcompensation (higher aboveground biomass and leaf area) and a greater overall shift in phenotypic correlations, whereas late-stressed sunflowers were smaller and more water use-efficient. Taken together, these results suggest that drought stress at an earlier growth stage elicits a change in development that enables greater uptake and transpiration of water during recovery, resulting in higher growth rates despite similar initial transcriptomic responses. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:05:16Z |
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| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:05:16Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
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| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-02979c46eb7549a1b9d48afad7b0554f2023-11-18T07:57:52ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672023-05-012411935110.3390/ijms24119351Similar Transcriptomic Responses to Early and Late Drought Stresses Produce Divergent Phenotypes in Sunflower (<i>Helianthus annuus</i> L.)Garrett M. Janzen0Emily L. Dittmar1Nicolas B. Langlade2Nicolas Blanchet3Lisa A. Donovan4Andries A. Temme5John M. Burke6Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USADepartment of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USAINRA Centre de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, 31320 Castanet-Tolosan, FranceLIPME, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CNRS, 31320 Castanet-Tolosan, FranceDepartment of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USADepartment of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USADepartment of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USACultivated sunflower (<i>Helianthus annuus</i> L.) exhibits numerous phenotypic and transcriptomic responses to drought. However, the ways in which these responses vary with differences in drought timing and severity are insufficiently understood. We used phenotypic and transcriptomic data to evaluate the response of sunflower to drought scenarios of different timing and severity in a common garden experiment. Using a semi-automated outdoor high-throughput phenotyping platform, we grew six oilseed sunflower lines under control and drought conditions. Our results reveal that similar transcriptomic responses can have disparate phenotypic effects when triggered at different developmental time points. Leaf transcriptomic responses, however, share similarities despite timing and severity differences (e.g., 523 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were shared across all treatments), though increased severity elicited greater differences in expression, particularly during vegetative growth. Across treatments, DEGs were highly enriched for genes related to photosynthesis and plastid maintenance. A co-expression analysis identified a single module (M8) enriched in all drought stress treatments. Genes related to drought, temperature, proline biosynthesis, and other stress responses were overrepresented in this module. In contrast to transcriptomic responses, phenotypic responses were largely divergent between early and late drought. Early-stressed sunflowers responded to drought with reduced overall growth, but became highly water-acquisitive during recovery irrigation, resulting in overcompensation (higher aboveground biomass and leaf area) and a greater overall shift in phenotypic correlations, whereas late-stressed sunflowers were smaller and more water use-efficient. Taken together, these results suggest that drought stress at an earlier growth stage elicits a change in development that enables greater uptake and transpiration of water during recovery, resulting in higher growth rates despite similar initial transcriptomic responses.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/11/9351sunflowerdroughtstresscompensationovercompensationgene expression |
| spellingShingle | Garrett M. Janzen Emily L. Dittmar Nicolas B. Langlade Nicolas Blanchet Lisa A. Donovan Andries A. Temme John M. Burke Similar Transcriptomic Responses to Early and Late Drought Stresses Produce Divergent Phenotypes in Sunflower (<i>Helianthus annuus</i> L.) International Journal of Molecular Sciences sunflower drought stress compensation overcompensation gene expression |
| title | Similar Transcriptomic Responses to Early and Late Drought Stresses Produce Divergent Phenotypes in Sunflower (<i>Helianthus annuus</i> L.) |
| title_full | Similar Transcriptomic Responses to Early and Late Drought Stresses Produce Divergent Phenotypes in Sunflower (<i>Helianthus annuus</i> L.) |
| title_fullStr | Similar Transcriptomic Responses to Early and Late Drought Stresses Produce Divergent Phenotypes in Sunflower (<i>Helianthus annuus</i> L.) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Similar Transcriptomic Responses to Early and Late Drought Stresses Produce Divergent Phenotypes in Sunflower (<i>Helianthus annuus</i> L.) |
| title_short | Similar Transcriptomic Responses to Early and Late Drought Stresses Produce Divergent Phenotypes in Sunflower (<i>Helianthus annuus</i> L.) |
| title_sort | similar transcriptomic responses to early and late drought stresses produce divergent phenotypes in sunflower i helianthus annuus i l |
| topic | sunflower drought stress compensation overcompensation gene expression |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/11/9351 |
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