Genes differentially expressed in broccoli as an early and late response to wounding stress

The plant wound-response is a complex process that generates changes in physiological, biochemical, and genetic mechanisms. The objective of the present study was to increase our understanding of the genetic wound-response of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.) as an early (1 h) and late response (9 h) to two different wounding intensities (florets and chops) through transcriptome analysis by RNA-Seq. Chops generated the highest differential expression at both, early and late response; in the early response, genes that showed the highest upregulation were those involved in jasmonic acid biosynthesis and phenylpropanoid pathway, whereas in the late response those involved in amino acid and indolyl glucosinolate biosynthesis were upregulated. Likewise, in florets, only a few genes involved in the phenylpropanoid pathway were induced, mainly in the early response. The information generated will help to elucidate effective strategies leading to the enhancement of nutraceutical characteristics and shelf-life stability of fresh-cut broccoli products.