Keita Tamura and Hidemasa Bono

Life 2022, 12(7), 1079; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12071079 (published 19 July 2022)

Abstract

Hypoxia is an abiotic stress in plants. Flooding resulting from climate change is a major crop threat that increases the risk of hypoxic stress. The molecular mechanisms underlying hypoxia in plants were elucidated in recent years, but new genes related to this stress remain to be discovered. Thus, we aimed to perform a meta-analysis of the RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and rice (Oryza sativa) under hypoxia. We collected 29 (Arabidopsis) and 26 (rice) pairs of RNA-Seq data involving hypoxic (including submergence) and normoxic (control) treatments and extracted the genes that were commonly upregulated or downregulated in the majority of the experiments. The meta-analysis revealed 40 and 19 commonly upregulated and downregulated genes, respectively, in the two species. Several WRKY transcription factors and cinnamate-4-hydroxylase were commonly upregulated, but their involvement in hypoxia remains unclear. Our meta-analysis identified candidate genes for novel molecular mechanisms in plants under hypoxia.

See https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/7/1079

Figure 1. Gene set enrichment analysis of hypoxia-inducible upregulated genes. (a) Meta-analysis of Arabidopsis; (b) Meta-analysis of rice using the corresponding Arabidopsis genes.