QTL mapping and transcriptome analysis of seed germination under PEG-induced water stress in Lactuca spp.

For RNA-Seq and network analyses, US96UC23 (L. serriola) was assessed in the control (dH2O) and treatment (10% PEG) groups, with 15 replicates in each group. Thirty seeds were used in each replicate. All germinated seeds (RE > 5 mm) of US96UC23 were collected from each replicate in the control and treatment groups after 4 days as the post-germination stage. The total RNA (5 µg) of each replicate was extracted from the bulk seed sample, including all seed parts. The number of DEGs was 4,095. The top 20 GO terms and KEGG pathways were assessed by enrichment analysis. The consensus network analysis captured 44 modules. The top 20 gene networks in 10 significant modules were constructed to identify hub genes in each dataset. The manuscript was published in the Scientific Reports journal (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-77972-9).