Regulation of growth in peach roots by exogenous hydrogen sulfide based on RNA-Seq.

Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) has been shown to regulate many physiological processes of plants. In this study, we observed that 0.2 mM sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), a donor of H 2 S, can regulate the root architecture of peach seedlings, increasing the number of lateral roots by 40.63%. To investigate the specific mechanisms by which H 2 S regulates root growth in peach, we used RNA sequencing and heterologous expression technology. Our results showed that exogenous H 2 S led to a 44.50% increase in the concentration of endogenous auxin. Analyses of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) revealed that 963 and 1113 genes responded to H 2 S on days one and five of treatment, respectively. Among the DEGs, 26 genes were involved in auxin biosynthesis, transport, and signal transduction. Using weighted correlation network analysis, we found that the auxin-related genes in the H 2 S-specific gene module were disproportionately involved in polar transport, which may play an important role in H 2 S-induced root growth. In addition, we observed that the expression of LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN 16 (PpLBD16) was significantly up-regulated by exogenous application of H 2 S in peach. Overexpression of PpLBD16 in an Arabidopsis system yielded a 66.83% increase in the number of lateral roots. Under exposure to exogenous H 2 S, there was also increased expression of genes related to cell proliferation, indicating that H 2 S regulates the growth of peach roots. Our work represents the first comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of the effects of exogenous application of H 2 S on the roots of peach, and provides new insights into the mechanisms underlying H 2 S-induced root growth. • Exogenous hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) can regulate root growth. • The mechanism of H 2 S is regulation of auxin pathways. • LBD, MYB, AP2/ERF transcription factors (TFs) respond to exogenous H 2 S. • Exogenous H 2 S affects genes controlling cell division in roots. • The TF, PpLBD16 , is involved in lateral root formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]