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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Transcriptomic Analysis of Key Genes in Sex
Differentiation of Male and Female Flower
Buds during Physiological Differentiation
of Juglans mandshurica
1
Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
2
Key Laboratory of Forest Tree Genetics, Breeding and Cultivation of Liaoning Province, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
3
College of Life Engineering, Shenyang Institute of Technology
Submission date: 2023-12-14
Final revision date: 2024-04-11
Acceptance date: 2024-06-30
Online publication date: 2025-01-31
Publication date: 2025-06-06
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2025;34(4):4927-4941
KEYWORDS
J. mandshuricasex differentiationtranscriptomekey genesflower budsdifferential gene expressionenrichment pathwaymetabolic pathways
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
By comparing the transcriptome data of male and female flower buds of Juglans maudsurica,
we investigated the genetic regulation differences in male and female flower bud development and
identified key genes. In this study, male and female flower buds of the male and female precocious type
at the physiological differentiation stage were used as test materials. Through transcriptome sequencing
data analysis, a total of 3,501 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 2,236
up-regulated genes and 2,184 down-regulated genes(Differentially expressed genes overlap between
distinct comparison groups). Enrichment function and metabolic pathway analyses revealed that
the sex differentiation process J. mandshurica flower buds involves complex biological processes
and regulatory mechanisms. The phytohormone signal transduction pathway was notably enriched
in all the control groups, indicating its crucial role in the process of sex differentiation. Furthermore,
the number of up-regulated and down-regulated genes varied among the different controls, suggesting
the presence of inhibitory effect genes during flower bud development. Using bidirectional clustering
heat map analysis, we identified 11 key genes associated with sex differentiation in female-first flower
buds and 10 key genes associated with sex differentiation in male-first flower buds. Overall, this study
uncovers genetic regulatory differences between female-predominant and male-predominant flower
buds during J. mandshurica flower bud development, and identifies several key genes and metabolic
pathways associated with flower bud and sex differentiation. These findings contribute to a better
understanding of the biological regulatory mechanisms underlying bud sex differentiation.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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