Identification of genes involved in metabolism and signalling of abscisic acid and gibberellins during Epimedium pseudowushanense B.L.Guo seed morphophysiological dormancy.

KEY MESSAGE: Key genes involved in metabolism and signalling of abscisic acid and gibberellins during Epimedium pseudowushanense B.L.Guo seed morphophysiological dormancy release were identified using phytochemistry, transcriptomics, and bioinformatic methods. The molecular mechanism of seed morphophysiological dormancy of Epimedium pseudowushanense B.L.Guo. remains largely unknown. The endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellin (GA) content of E. pseudowushanense seeds at three developmental stages were quantitatively determined. The results showed the levels of ABA in E. pseudowushanense seeds decreased during seed embryo growth and development, while levels of GA3 increased during seed embryo growth, and levels of GA4 increased during seed dormancy release and seed sprouting. A high-throughput sequencing method was used to determine the E. pseudowushanense seed transcriptome. The transcriptome data were assembled as 178,613 unigenes and the numbers of differentially expressed unigenes between the seed development stages were compared. Computer analysis of reference pathways revealed that 12 candidate genes were likely to be involved in metabolism and signalling of ABA and GAs. The expression patterns of these genes were revealed by real-time quantitative PCR. Phylogenetic relationships among the deduced E. pseudowushanense proteins and their homologous proteins in other plant species were analysed. The results indicated that EpNCED1, EpNCED2, EpCYP707A1, and EpCYP707A2 are likely to be involved in ABA biosynthesis and catabolism. EpSnRK2 is likely implicated in ABA signalling during seed dormancy. EpGA3ox is likely to be involved in GA biosynthesis. EpDELLA1 and EpDELLA2 are likely implicated in GA signalling. This study is the first to provide the E. pseudowushanense seed transcriptome and the key genes involved in metabolism and signalling of ABA and GAs, and it is valuable for studies on the mechanism of seed morphophysiological dormancy.