Expression profile analysis of Isoetes sinensis in response to light-dark shift under terrestrial and submerged conditions

Light-dark cycle exercises great influences on plant growth and metabolism. Isoetes L. is one of basal vascular plants with unique phylogenetic position. Isoetes sinensis is an amphibious plant, alternating frequently between terrestrial and aquatic environments. Here, we performed RNA-sequencing to investigate different expression profiles of I. sinensis in response to light-dark shift under terrestrial (TC) and submerged conditions (SC), respectively. Four different samples were sequenced, including terrestrial leaves in the light (LTC) and dark (DTC), as well as submerged materials in the light (LSC) and dark (DSC). Totally, there were 1154 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were enriched in LTC vs. DTC, and 1212 DEGs in LSC vs. DSC. Moreover, 102 and 103 transcription factors (TFs) were significantly enriched in LTC vs. DTC and LSC vs. DSC, respectively. Co-expression analysis revealed that the differently expressed TFs were distinctly categorized into two subsets for the two pairwise comparisons. The network analysis demonstrated that NAC played key roles in the light-dark shift under TC. The dataset might provide new insights in understanding I. sinensis in response to light-dark shift under different conditions and serve as an important platform for further researches in Isoetes.