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Sesame is a survivor crop cultivated for ages in arid areas under high temperatures and limited water conditions. Since its entire genome has been sequenced, revealing evolution, and functional characterization of its abiotic stress genes became a hot topic. In this study, we performed a whole-genome identification and analysis of Hsf gene family in sesame. Thirty genes encoding Hsf domain were found and classified into 3 major classes A, B, and C. The class A members were the most representative one and Hsf genes were distributed in 12 of the 16 linkage groups (except the LG 8, 9, 13, and 16). Evolutionary analysis revealed that, segmental duplication events which occurred around 67 MYA, were the primary force underlying Hsf genes expansion in sesame. Comparative analysis also suggested that sesame has retained most of its Hsf genes while its relatives viz. tomato and potato underwent extensive gene losses during evolution. Continuous purifying selection has played a key role in the maintenance of Hsf genes in sesame. Expression analysis of the Hsf genes in sesame revealed their putative involvement in multiple tissue-/developmental stages. Time-course expression profiling of Hsf genes in response to drought stress showed that 90% Hsfs are drought responsive. We infer that classes B-Hsfs might be the primary regulators of drought response in sesame by cooperating with some class A genes. This is the first insight into this gene family and the results provide some gene resources for future gene cloning and functional studies toward the improvement in stress tolerance of sesame.

Background Sesame is an important oil crop due to its high oil, antioxidant, and protein content. Drought stress is a major abiotic stress that affects sesame production as well as the quality of sesame seed. To reveal the adaptive mechanism of sesame in response to water deficient conditions, transcriptomic and metabolomics were applied in drought-tolerant (DT) and drought-susceptible (DS) sesame genotypes. Results Transcriptomic analysis reveals a set of core drought-responsive genes (684 up-regulated and 1346 down-regulated) in sesame that was robustly differently expressed in both genotypes. Most enriched drought-responsive genes are mainly involved in protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, plant hormone signal transduction photosynthesis, lipid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism. Drought-susceptible genotype was more disturbed by drought stress at both transcriptional and metabolic levels, since more drought-responsive genes/metabolites were identified in DS. Drought-responsive genes associated with stress response, amino acid metabolism, and reactive oxygen species scavenging were more enriched or activated in DT. According to the partial least-squares discriminate analysis, the most important metabolites which were accumulated under drought stress in both genotypes includes ABA, amino acids, and organic acids. Especially, higher levels of ABA, proline, arginine, lysine, aromatic and branched chain amino acids, GABA, saccharopine, 2-aminoadipate, and allantoin were found in DT under stress condition. Combination of transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis highlights the important role of amino acid metabolism (especially saccharopine pathway) and ABA metabolism and signaling pathway for drought tolerance in sesame. Conclusion The results of the present study provide valuable information for better understanding the molecular mechanism underlying drought tolerance of sesame, and also provide useful clues for the genetic improvement of drought tolerance in sesame.

Background Glycosyltransferases comprise a highly divergent and polyphyletic multigene family that is involved in widespread modification of plant secondary metabolites in a process called glycosylation. According to conserved domains identified in their amino acid sequences, these glycosyltransferases can be classified into a single UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT) 1 superfamily. Results We performed genome-wide comparative analysis of UGT genes to trace evolutionary history in algae, bryophytes, pteridophytes, and angiosperms; then, we further investigated the expansion mechanisms and function characterization of UGT gene families in Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea . Using Hidden Markov Model search, we identified 3, 21, 140, 200, 115, 147, and 147 UGTs in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii , Physcomitrella patens , Selaginella moellendorffii , Oryza sativa , Arabidopsis thaliana , B. rapa , and B. oleracea , respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that UGT80 gene family is an ancient gene family, which is shared by all plants and UGT74 gene family is shared by ferns and angiosperms, but the remaining UGT gene families were shared by angiosperms. In dicot lineage, UGTs among three species were classified into three subgroups containing 3, 6, and 12 UGT gene families. Analysis of chromosomal distribution indicates that 98.6 and 71.4% of UGTs were located on B. rapa and B. oleracea pseudo-molecules, respectively. Expansion mechanism analyses uncovered that whole genome duplication event exerted larger influence than tandem duplication on expansion of UGT gene families in B. rapa , and B. oleracea . Analysis of selection forces of UGT orthologous gene pairs in B. rapa , and B. oleracea compared to A. thaliana suggested that orthologous genes in B. rapa , and B. oleracea have undergone negative selection, but there were no significant differences between A. thaliana – B. rapa and A. thaliana – B. oleracea lineages. Our comparisons of expression profiling illustrated that UGTs in B. rapa performed more discrete expression patterns than these in B. oleracea indicating stronger function divergence. Combing with phylogeny and expression analysis, the UGTs in B. rapa and B. oleracea experienced parallel evolution after they diverged from a common ancestor. Conclusion We first traced the evolutionary history of UGT gene families in plants and revealed its evolutionary and functional characterization of UGTs in B. rapa , and B. oleracea . This study provides novel insights into the evolutionary history and functional divergence of important traits or phenotype-related gene families in plants.

Background Soil salinity is one of the major serious factors that affect agricultural productivity of almost all crops worldwide, including the important oilseed crop sesame. In order to improve salinity resistance in sesame, it is crucial to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptive response to salinity stress. Results In the present study, two contrasting sesame genotypes differing in salt tolerance were used to decipher the adaptive responses to salt stress based on morphological, transcriptome and metabolome characterizations. Morphological results indicated that under salt stress, the salt-tolerant (ST) genotype has enhanced capacity to withstand salinity stress, higher seed germination rate and plant survival rate, as well as better growth rate than the salt-sensitive genotype. Transcriptome analysis revealed strongly induced salt-responsive genes in sesame mainly related to amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, plant hormone signal transduction, and oxidation-reduction process. Especially, several pathways were preferably enriched with differentially expressed genes in ST genotype, including alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, carotenoid biosynthesis, galactose metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism. Metabolome profiling under salt stress showed a higher accumulation degree of metabolites involved in stress tolerance in ST, and further highlighted that the amino acid metabolism, and sucrose and raffinose family oligosaccharides metabolism were enhanced in ST. Conclusions These findings suggest that the candidate genes and metabolites involved in crucial biological pathways may regulate salt tolerance of sesame, and increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptation of sesame to salt stress.

Background Sesame ( Sesamum indicum L.) is one of the world’s most important oil crops. However, it is susceptible to abiotic stresses in general, and to waterlogging and drought stresses in particular. The molecular mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance in sesame have not yet been elucidated. The WRKY domain transcription factors play significant roles in plant growth, development, and responses to stresses. However, little is known about the number, location, structure, molecular phylogenetics, and expression of the WRKY genes in sesame. Results We performed a comprehensive study of the WRKY gene family in sesame and identified 71 SiWRKYs . In total, 65 of these genes were mapped to 15 linkage groups within the sesame genome. A phylogenetic analysis was performed using a related species ( Arabidopsis thaliana ) to investigate the evolution of the sesame WRKY genes. Tissue expression profiles of the WRKY genes demonstrated that six SiWRKY genes were highly expressed in all organs, suggesting that these genes may be important for plant growth and organ development in sesame. Analysis of the SiWRKY gene expression patterns revealed that 33 and 26 SiWRKYs respond strongly to waterlogging and drought stresses, respectively. Changes in the expression of 12 SiWRKY genes were observed at different times after the waterlogging and drought treatments had begun, demonstrating that sesame gene expression patterns vary in response to abiotic stresses. Conclusions In this study, we analyzed the WRKY family of transcription factors encoded by the sesame genome. Insight was gained into the classification, evolution, and function of the SiWRKY genes, revealing their putative roles in a variety of tissues. Responses to abiotic stresses in different sesame cultivars were also investigated. The results of our study provide a better understanding of the structures and functions of sesame WRKY genes and suggest that manipulating these WRKYs could enhance resistance to waterlogging and drought.

Background The homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) gene family is one of the plant-specific transcription factor families, involved in plant development, growth, and in the response to diverse stresses. However, comprehensive analysis of the HD-Zip genes, especially those involved in response to drought and salinity stresses is lacking in sesame ( Sesamum indicum L.), an important oil crop in tropical and subtropical areas. Results In this study, 45 HD-Zip genes were identified in sesame, and denominated as SiHDZ01-SiHDZ45. Members of SiHDZ family were classified into four groups (HD-Zip I-IV) based on the phylogenetic relationship of Arabidopsis HD-Zip proteins, which was further supported by the analysis of their conserved motifs and gene structures. Expression analyses of SiHDZ genes based on transcriptome data showed that the expression patterns of these genes were varied in different tissues. Additionally, we showed that at least 75% of the SiHDZ genes were differentially expressed in responses to drought and salinity treatments, and highlighted the important role of HD-Zip I and II genes in stress responses in sesame. Conclusions This study provides important information for functional characterization of stress-responsive HD-Zip genes and may contribute to the better understanding of the molecular basis of stress tolerance in sesame.

Basic leucine zipper (bZIP) gene family is one of the largest transcription factor families in plants, and members of this family play important roles in multiple biological processes such as light signaling, seed maturation, flower development as well as abiotic and biotic stress responses. Nonetheless, genome-wide comprehensive analysis of the bZIP family is lacking in the important oil crop sesame. In the present study, 63 bZIP genes distributed on 14 linkage groups were identified in sesame, and denominated as SibZIP01-SibZIP63. Besides, all members of SibZIP family were divided into nine groups based on the phylogenetic relationship of Arabidopsis bZIPs, which was further supported by the analysis of their conserved motifs and gene structures. Promoter analysis showed that all SibZIP genes harbor cis-elements related to stress responsiveness in their promoter regions. Expression analyses of SibZIP genes based on transcriptome data showed that these genes have different expression patterns in different tissues. Additionally, we showed that a majority of SibZIPs (85.71%) exhibited significant transcriptional changes in responses to abiotic stresses, including drought, waterlogging, osmotic, salt, and cold, suggesting that SibZIPs may play a cardinal role in the regulation of stress responses in sesame. Together, these results provide new insights into stress-responsive SibZIP genes and pave the way for future studies of SibZIPs-mediated abiotic stress response in sesame.

Background The cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450) superfamily is involved in the biosynthesis of various primary and secondary metabolites. However, little is known about the effects of whole genome duplication (WGD) and tandem duplication (TD) events on the evolutionary history and functional divergence of P450s in Brassica after splitting from a common ancestor with Arabidopsis thaliana . Results Using Hidden Markov Model search and manual curation, we detected that Brassica species have nearly 1.4-fold as many P450 members as A. thaliana . Most P450s in A. thaliana and Brassica species were located on pseudo-chromosomes. The inferred phylogeny indicated that all P450s were clustered into two different subgroups. Analysis of WGD event revealed that different P450 gene families had appeared after evolutionary events of species. For the TD event analyses, the P450s from TD events in Brassica species can be divided into ancient and recent parts. Our comparison of influence of WGD and TD events on the P450 gene superfamily between A. thaliana and Brassica species indicated that the family-specific evolution in the Brassica lineage can be attributed to both WGD and TD, whereas WGD was recognized as the major mechanism for the recent evolution of the P450 super gene family. Expression analysis of P450s from A. thaliana and Brassica species indicated that WGD-type P450s showed the same expression pattern but completely different expression with TD-type P450s across different tissues in Brassica species. Selection force analysis suggested that P450 orthologous gene pairs between A. thaliana and Brassica species underwent negative selection, but no significant differences were found between P450 orthologous gene pairs in A. thaliana – B. rapa and A. thaliana – B. oleracea lineages, as well as in different subgenomes in B. rapa or B. oleracea compared with A. thaliana . Conclusions This study is the first to investigate the effects of WGD and TD on the evolutionary history and functional divergence of P450 gene families in A. thaliana and Brassica species. This study provides a biology model to study the mechanism of gene family formation, particularly in the context of the evolutionary history of angiosperms, and offers novel insights for the study of angiosperm genomes .

Background Cadmium (Cd) pollution of soils is a global concern because its accumulation in plants generates severe growth retardation and health problems. Hibiscus syriacus is an ornamental plant that can tolerate various abiotic stresses, including Cd stress. Therefore, it is proposed as a plant material in Cd-polluted areas. However, the molecular mechanisms of H. syriacus tolerance to Cd are not yet understood. Results This study investigated the physiological and transcriptional response of “Hongxing”, a Cd 2+ -tolerant H. syriacus variety, grown on a substrate containing higher concentration of Cd (400 mg/kg). The Cd treatment induced only 28% of plant mortality, but a significant decrease in the chlorophyll content was observed. Malondialdehyde content and activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase were significantly increased under Cd stress. Transcriptome analysis identified 29,921 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 16,729 down-regulated and 13,192 up-regulated genes, under Cd stress. Functional enrichment analyses assigned the DEGs mainly to plant hormone signal transduction, transport, nucleosome and DNA processes, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, antioxidant process, fatty acid metabolism, and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Many MYB, EP2/ERF, NAC, WRKY family genes, and genes containing metal binding domains were up-regulated, implying that they are essential for the Cd-stress response in H. syriacus . The most induced genes were filtered out, providing valuable resources for future studies. Conclusions Our findings provide insights into the molecular responses to Cd stress in H. syriacus . Moreover, this study offers comprehensive and important resources for future studies toward improving the plant Cd tolerance and its valorization in phytoremediation.

Background Sesame is a rare example of non-model and minor crop for which numerous genetic loci and candidate genes underlying features of interest have been disclosed at relatively high resolution. These progresses have been achieved thanks to the applications of the genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach. GWAS has benefited from the availability of high-quality genomes, re-sequencing data from thousands of genotypes, extensive transcriptome sequencing, development of haplotype map and web-based functional databases in sesame. Results In this paper, we reviewed the GWAS methods, the underlying statistical models and the applications for genetic discovery of important traits in sesame. A novel online database SiGeDiD ( http://sigedid.ucad.sn/ ) has been developed to provide access to all genetic and genomic discoveries through GWAS in sesame. We also tested for the first time, applications of various new GWAS multi-locus models in sesame. Conclusions Collectively, this work portrays steps and provides guidelines for efficient GWAS implementation in sesame, a non-model crop.