Transcriptome and proteome profiling revealed molecular mechanism of selenium responses in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

BACKGROUND: Although selenium (Se) plays important roles in scavenging free radicals, alleviating oxidative stresses, and strengthening immune system, the knowledge about Se responses in bread wheat is still limited. In order to clarify the molecular mechanism of Se responses in bread wheat, 2-week-old wheat seedlings of cultivar ‘Jimai22’ treated with 10 μM disodium selenate (Na(2)SeO(4)) for 0, 3, and 24 h were collected and analyzed by transcriptional sequencing and tandem mass tag-based (TMT) quantitative proteomics. RESULTS: At least 11,656 proteins and 133,911 genes were identified, and proteins including ATP sulfurylase (APS), cysteine synthase (CS), SeCys lyase, sulfate transporters, glutathione S-transferase (GSTs), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutaredoxins (GRXs), superoxide dismutases (SODs), catalases (CATs), heat shock proteins (HSPs), UDP-glycose flavonoid glycosyltransferases (UFGTs), sucrose-6-phosphate hydrolases (Suc-6-PHs), archaeal phosphoglucose isomerases (APGIs), malate synthases (MSs), and endo-1,4-beta-xylanase (Xyn) in Se accumulation, ROS scavenging, secondary metabolism, and carbohydrate metabolism were significantly differently expressed. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first complementary analyses of the transcriptome and proteome related with selenium responses in bread wheat. Our work enhances the understanding about the molecular mechanism of selenium responses in bread wheat. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12870-021-03368-w.