Transcriptomic analyses of space-induced rice mutants with enhanced susceptibility to rice blast

Mutagenic factors of the space environment influence organisms in different aspects. To elucidate the transcriptomic effects of space flight, a space flight-induced rice mutant, 972-4, and its on-ground control, 972ck, were inoculated with rice blast pathogens. Compared to the control, the mutant exhibited reduced resistance to the rice blast pathogen CH45. Microarray technique was employed to analyze affected genes and revealed that 481 genes were expressed at higher levels in the mutant strain and 188 genes were expressed at higher levels in the control strain under normal growth conditions, indicating that transcriptomic changes of rice seeds are induced by the space environment. After inoculation with the rice blast pathogen CH45, however, 2680 genes were differentially expressed in 972ck and 1863 genes were differentially expressed in 972-4. In addition, disease evaluation indicated that the control strain 972ck is more resistant to the rice blast pathogen CH45 than mutant strain 972-4. In addition, genes in both strains that were co-regulated after blast inoculation account for only 36.8% and 53.3% of the genes expressed in 972ck and 972-4, respectively. A large percentage of blast-regulated genes were not consistently expressed in 972-4 and 972ck, and the mutant and control strains exhibit different gene expression patterns after blast inoculation. Interestingly, 84 genes constitutively expressed higher in 972ck were up-regulated by blast inoculation, and 105 genes that were expressed at constitutively higher levels in 972-4 were down-regulated by blast inoculation. Of the differentially expressed, 7 encoded genes associated with pathogen resistance. Taken together, our results suggest that gene expression patterns are different between a space flight-induced rice mutant and its on-ground control, and the differential expression of resistance genes may be a potential mechanism that modulates the resistance of 972-4 to rice blast. Our results also suggest that the rice plants are suitable plant models for further research of the effects of the space environment on gene expression and function.