Exploring differentially expressed genes of microspore embryogenesis under heat stress in sweet pepper

Stress is considered to be the inducer of microspore embyogenesis (ME), and heat stress is indispensible in the ME of sweet pepper. The aim of the study was to explore differentially expressed genes of microspore embryogenesis under heat stress in sweet pepper. The swollen rate of microspore was significantly affected by heat stress, while no green plant could be acquired without heat pretreatment. Anthers with or without heat stress were used for whole transcriptome analysis by RNA sequencing to provide new insights on how cells adapt to stress. A total of 5031 differentially expressed genes were identified, among which 2657 differentially expressed genes were up-regulated and 2374 differentially expressed genes were down-regulated in the early stage of heat stress. KEGG pathway analysis identified "plant hormone signal transduction" (67; 11.20%), followed by starch and sucrose metabolism (63; 10.54%). RNA-Seq data and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that 224 genes related to glutathione metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis were the most likely specific genes in ME under heat stress. This research provides new insights into molecular regulation during the early stage of ME in sweet pepper under heat stress.   Key words: Differentially expressed genes, heat stress, microspore embryogenesis, sweet pepper