A comprehensive transcriptomic dataset of Sorghum bicolor seedlings under abiotic stress conditions.
Yim WC, Hu YK, Lomas JS, Kim SH, Song DY
Climate Adaptation
Sorghum quietly feeds hundreds of millions of people in the world's driest, hottest regions — and this gene map brings us closer to understanding exactly how it survives where other crops fail, which matters as droughts grow longer and summers hotter in growing regions worldwide.
Researchers grew sorghum seedlings and then stressed them with too much salt, not enough water, extreme heat, cold, or a stress hormone — then measured which genes switched on or off at three time points. They gathered all this data into one large, open collection that any scientist can download and study. The goal is to figure out which genes are the secret to sorghum's toughness, so breeders can one day move those traits into crops that struggle when weather turns extreme.
Key Findings
54 RNA-sequencing libraries were generated from sorghum leaves sampled at 6, 12, and 24 hours under five distinct stress conditions, creating a time-resolved gene expression atlas.
The dataset covers five abiotic stressors — salinity, PEG-induced drought, heat, cold, and abscisic acid — with three biological replicates per condition, ensuring statistical robustness.
All raw and processed data (differential gene expression, Gene Ontology enrichment, and a gene co-expression network) are publicly deposited in NCBI SRA and Figshare for open community use.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists built a detailed gene activity atlas for sorghum seedlings under five different stresses — salt, drought, heat, cold, and a stress hormone — tracking changes at 6, 12, and 24 hours. This freely available dataset gives crop researchers a powerful tool to identify which genes help sorghum survive harsh conditions, potentially accelerating the development of more resilient food crops.
Abstract Preview
Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], a C₄ cereal crop, is the fifth most widely cultivated cereal globally and is cultivated in over 100 countries for food, fodder, and biofuel production. Its ex...
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Sorghum bicolor, commonly called sorghum and also known as broomcorn, great millet, Indian millet, Guinea corn, jowar, or milo, is a species in the grass genus Sorghum. It is typically an annual, but some cultivars are perennial. It grows in clumps that may reach over 4 metres (13 ft) high. The g...