Lactuca sativa Assembly

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is one of the half cold-tolerant plants. The growth inhibition emerges under high temperature in summer. Different lettuce varieties display huge variations in bolting resistance, but how bolting resistance is determined at the molecular level remains poorly understood. To understand the genes and gene networks that regulate bolting resistance in lettuce, high throughout RNA-Seq data were used to compare the transcriptomes of seedling from two near isogenic lines with different bolting resistance. 14262 genes were found to be differentially expressed, among which 5860 genes were significantly up-regulated and 6342 down-regulated in the line with bolting resistance. Ethylene receptors were dramatically activated, and gibberellin receptor GID1 were greatly reduced in the bolting resistance varieties. Thus, our results built a foundation for dissecting the molecular mechanism of bolting and flowering control in lettuce, a key agricultural trait of significant economic importance.