Data from: Comparative transcriptome and lipidome analyses reveal molecular chilling responses in chilling-tolerant sorghums

Chilling temperatures (0 to 15°C) are a major constraint for temperate
cultivation of tropical-origin crops, including the cereal crop sorghum
(Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench). Northern Chinese sorghums have adapted to
early-season chilling, but molecular mechanisms of chilling tolerance are
unknown. We used RNA sequencing of seedlings to compare the
chilling-responsive transcriptomes of a chilling-tolerant Chinese
accession with a chilling-sensitive US reference line, and mass
spectrometry to compare chilling-responsive lipidomes of four
chilling-tolerant Chinese accessions with two US reference lines.
Comparative transcriptomics revealed chilling-induced up-regulation of
cold-response regulator C-repeat binding factor (CBF) transcription factor
and genes involved in reactive oxygen detoxification, jasmonic acid (JA)
biosynthesis, and lipid remodeling phospholipase Dα1 (PLDα1) gene in the
chilling-tolerant Chinese line. Lipidomics revealed conserved
chilling-induced increases in lipid unsaturation, as well as lipid
remodeling of photosynthetic membranes that is specific to
chilling-tolerant Chinese accessions. Our results point to CBF-mediated
transcriptional regulation, galactolipid and phospholipid remodeling, and
JA as potential molecular mechanisms underlying chilling adaptation in
Chinese sorghums. These molecular systems underlying chilling response
could be targeted in molecular breeding for chilling tolerance.