Transcriptional changes in litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) inflorescences treated with uniconazole

In Arabidopsis, treating shoots with uniconazole can result in enhanced primary root elongation and bolting delay. Uniconazole spraying has become an important cultivation technique in controlling the flowering and improving the fruit-setting of litchi. However, the mechanism by which uniconazole regulates the complicated developmental processes in litchi remains unclear. This study aimed to determine which signal pathways and genes drive the responses of litchi inflorescences to uniconazole treatment. We monitored the transcriptional activity in inflorescences after uniconazole treatment by Illumina sequencing technology. The global expression profiles of uniconazole-treated litchi inflorescences were compared with those of the control, and 4051 differentially expressed genes were isolated. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the plant hormone signal transduction pathway served key functions in the flower developmental stage under uniconazole treatment. Basing on the transcriptional analysis of genes involved in flower development, we hypothesized that uniconazole treatment increases the ratio of female flowers by activating the transcription of pistil-related genes. This phenomenon increases opportunities for pollination and fertilization, thereby enhancing the fruit-bearing rate. In addition, uniconazole treatment regulates the expression of unigenes involved in numerous transcription factor families, especially the bHLH and WRKY families. These findings suggest that the uniconazole-induced morphological changes in litchi inflorescences are related to the control of hormone signaling, the regulation of flowering genes, and the expression levels of various transcription factors. This study provides comprehensive inflorescence transcriptome data to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the response of litchi flowers to uniconazole treatment and enumerates possible candidate genes that can be used to guide future research in controlling litchi flowering.