Comparative transcriptome profiling provides insights into plant salt tolerance in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)

Salt stress seriously reduced the yield and quality of watermelon, and restricted the sustainable development of watermelon industry.Then RNA-seq was performed on roots and leaves in normal culture and under 150 mM NaCl treatment.A total of 21,069 genes were identified by RNA-seq analysis, of which 1,412 were genes encoding transcription factors (TFs). In the comparison groups of roots and leaves, 122 and 123 shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained, respectively. Gene ontology (GO) annotation and KEGG enrichment results showed that there were many identical GO terms and KEGG pathways in roots and leaves, especially the pathways that related to sugar or energy.