RNA-seq analysis of apical meristem reveals integrative regulatory network of ROS and chilling potentially related to flowering in Litchi chinensis

Litchi is an important woody fruit tree. Floral initiation in litchi is triggered by low temperatures. However, defective flowering is a major challenge for litchi production in times of climate change and global warming. Previous studies have shown that the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by methyl viologen dichloride hydrate (MV) promotes flowering. In this study, potted trees were transferred to growth chambers for low-temperature (LT), medium-temperature (MT), and high-temperature (HT) treatments. Trees at MT were subjected to ROS treatment to promote flowering, and those at LT were induced to flower. RNA-sequencing was applied to obtain a global transcriptome of the apical meristem and reveal potential gene networks controlling the transformation from vegetative meristems (VM) into inflorescence meristems (IM). We assembled 73,117 unigenes with a mean size of 790 bp and 11741 unigenes were identified as both chilling and ROS responsive genes (CRRGs), of which 48 were identified as flowering-related CRRGs, 59 were plant hormone signal transduction CRRGs, and 146 were plant hormone biosynthesis-related CRRGs. Genes co-expression network analysis indicated inner relationships, suggesting that ROS and chilling promotes the VM to IM transition through a regulatory gene network of transcription factors, hormones, and flowering regulators.