Investigating the effects of varying light regimes on Zostera muelleri using a transcriptomics approach. Light regime transcriptomics of Zostera muelleri

Zostera muelleri is an ecologically and economically important seagrass species found in Australian and New Zealand coastal waters. Seagrass meadows including Zostera spp. meadows are disappearing at alarming rates. Light limitation within the marine environment is one factor frequently involved in the decline of seagrass meadows. We present the first report of the Z. muelleri transcriptome in response to varying light intensities including low light.De novo assembly, GO enrichment, Conditional Reciprocal Best BLAST(CRBB) analysis and transcription factors were identified from the assembledand annotated transcriptome. Arabidopsis thaliana light stress responsive orthologs were validated using Reverse Transcription quantitative Real-Time PCR (RT-qPCR).A total of 38,988 (59.7%) unigenes were annotated. Multiple light-responsive GO terms and transcripts associated with Light Harvesting Complexes were revealed, a high abundance of stress response transcription factors were identified. Similar trends in gene expression of the orthologous A. thaliana light stress response genes were observed within Z. muelleri.This study provides the basis for further exploration into the genetic regulation of Z. muelleri; to understand perception and acclimation to varying light intensities. Similarities observed in gene expression profiles of the A. thaliana orthologs suggest the conservation of light-responsive genes between dicots and monocots.