Transcriptome analysis of Sorghum bicolor under limited silicon supply

Transcriptome of sorghum seedlings with or without silicon (Si) supply were compared by RNA sequencing, with the aim of understanding the impacts of decreased Si content in plant bodies on the metabolism of sorghum plants. Seeds of sorghum (cv BTx623) were germinated and grown on vermiculite for a week in the culture room maintained at 25 degree. Seedlings were transferred to the full-strength Yoshida B hydroponic culture medium [1 mM KCl, 0.25 mM (NH4)2 HPO4, 0.5 mM MgSO4, 1 mM Ca(NO3)2, 0.1 mM Fe(III)-EDTA, 46 µM B(OH)3, 9 mM MnCl2, 0.3 mM CuSO4, 0.8 mM ZnSO4, and 0.1 mM (NH4)2Mo7O24] and grown further for two weeks. The 3-week-old seedlings were transferred to the Yoshida B culture medium containing Si at 50 or 0 mg SiO2 L-1 and cultured further for 3 weeks. Silicon was added as silicic acid. The aerial parts of the 6-week-old (3 weeks after Si treatments) seedlings were used for the analyses throughout this study. Total RNA was extracted from the tip of the youngest fully expanded leaves.