The transcriptome datasets

We compared the growth performance and physiological indicators of alfalfa under PEG simulated drought stress with and without MT treatment, and conducted whole gene transcriptome sequencing analysis to identify the effects of MT and PEG on DEGs. In addition, the key signaling pathways and hub genes regulated by MT were detected through weighted gene co expression network analysis (WGCNA) to clarify their mechanisms of action at the cellular level. Specifically, drought conditions increase the synthesis of certain important amino acids (such as phenylalanine, tryptophan, and serine), sugars (such as sucrose and glucose), flavonoids (such as anthocyanins, epicatechin, and glycyrrhizin), and diterpene genes, providing new ideas for the cultivation of drought resistant alfalfa.

本研究比较了聚乙二醇（Polyethylene Glycol，PEG）模拟干旱胁迫下，施加褪黑素（Melatonin）与未施加褪黑素处理组的紫花苜蓿的生长性能与生理指标，并开展全基因组转录组测序分析，以鉴定褪黑素与PEG对差异表达基因（Differentially Expressed Genes，DEGs）的调控效应。此外，本研究通过加权基因共表达网络分析（Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis，WGCNA）检测了褪黑素调控的关键信号通路与核心枢纽基因，以阐明其在细胞层面的作用机制。具体而言，干旱胁迫会促进部分重要氨基酸（如苯丙氨酸、色氨酸、丝氨酸）、糖类物质（如蔗糖、葡萄糖）、黄酮类化合物（如花青素、表儿茶素、甘草苷）以及二萜类基因的合成，该研究结果为紫花苜蓿的抗旱品种培育提供了新的思路。