Background
Rain-shelter covering is widely applied during cherry fruit development in subtropical monsoon climates with the
Conclusions
According to the physiological indicators and transcriptional expression levels of the related genes, the adaptive regulation mechanism of cherry plants was systematically revealed. These findings can help understand the effect of rain-shelter covering on Chinese cherry cultivation in rainy regions.
Results
To better understand the regulation and adaptive mechanism of cherry under rain-shelter covering, 38,621 and 3584 differentially expressed genes were identified with a combination of Illumina HiSeq and single-molecule real-time sequencing in leaves and fruits, respectively, at three developmental stages. Among these, key genes, such as those encoding photosynthetic-antenna proteins (Lhca and Lhcb) and photosynthetic electron transporters (PsbP, PsbR, PsbY, and PetF), were up-regulated following the application of rain-shelter covering, leading to increased efficiency of light utilization. The mRNA levels of genes involved in carbon fixation, namely, rbcL and rbcS, were clearly increased compared with those under shelter-free conditions, resulting in improved CO2 utilization. Furthermore, the transcription levels of genes involved in chlorophyll (hemA, hemN, and chlH) and carotenoid synthesis (crtB, PDS, crtISO, and lcyB) in the sheltered leaves peaked earlier than those in the unsheltered leaves, thereby promoting organic matter accumulation in leaves. Remarkably, the expression levels of key genes involved in the metabolic pathways of phenylpropanoid (PAL, C4H, and 4CL) and flavonoid (CHS, CHI, F3'H, DFR, and ANS) in the sheltered fruits were also up-regulated earlier than of those in the unsheltered fruits, conducive to an increase in anthocyanin content in the fruits. Conclusions: According to the physiological indicators and transcriptional expression levels of the related genes, the adaptive regulation mechanism of cherry plants was systematically revealed. These findings can help understand the effect of rain-shelter covering on Chinese cherry cultivation in rainy regions.