High-throughput RNA-Seq analysis on plant response under fluctuating temperature conditions

Abstract

RNA-Seq is a whole-transcriptome analysis method used to research biological mechanisms and functions; its use in large-scale experiments is limited by costs and labour. In this study, we established a high-throughput and cost effective RNA-Seq library preparation method that did not require mRNA enrichment. The method adds unique index sequences to samples during reverse transcription (RT) that is conducted at a higher temperature ([≥]62{degrees}C) to suppress RT of A-rich sequences in rRNA, and then pools all samples into a single tube. Both single-read and paired end sequencing of libraries is enabled. We found that the pooled RT products contained large amounts of RNA, mainly rRNA, and caused over-estimations of the quantity of DNA, resulting in unstable tagmentation results. Degradation of RNA before tagmentation was necessary for the stable preparation of libraries. We named this protocol low-cost and easy RNA-Seq (Lasy-Seq), and used it to investigate temperature responses in Arabidopsis thaliana. We analysed how sub-ambient temperatures (10-30{degrees}C) affected the plant transcriptomes, using time-courses of RNA-Seq from plants grown in randomly fluctuating temperature conditions. Our results suggest that there are diverse mechanisms behind plant temperature responses at different time scales.