Transcriptome-wide analysis of differential response to drought and heat stress in Moricandia suffruticosa and Brassica napus

C3-C4 intermediate Moricandia suffruticosa showed tolerance to drought and heat stresses, and high photosynthetic capacity under these abiotic stresses as comparing with C3 relative crop rapeseed (Brassica napus). In our study, systematic analysis was conducted to reveal photosynthetic difference between C3-C4 Moricandia suffruticosa and its relative C3 rapeseed from the same Brassiceae tribe. It was found that Moricandia leaf photosynthesis and anatomy were significantly changed compared to rapeseed under drought and heat stress conditions. De novo transcriptome of Moricandia was assembled by next generation sequencing, and unigenes were mapped to respective rapeseed gene locus. Then comparative transcriptome analysis was conducted in leaf tissues of Moricandia and rapeseed under both drought and heat stresses. Main pathways and candidate genes were revealed from this analysis, which may be associated with the stress induced change in Moricandia. Overall design: Examination of differential response of transcriptome in Moricandia suffruticosa and Brassica napus under drought and heat conditions.