Comparative transcriptome analyses reveal that the MsNST1 gene affects lignin synthesis in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

As the second most abundant natural polymer, accounting for approximately 30% of the organic carbon in the biosphere, lignin plays an essential role in plant development. However, a high lignin content affects the nutritional quality of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), the most widely cultivated perennial legume forage crop. Histological analysis indicated that G-lignin and S-lignin were present in the stem, leaf, and petiole of alfalfa, and the deposition of lignin increased gradually in descending internodes. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and acid detergent lignin (ADL) contents continually increased from the top to the bottom of the stem, and ADL content showed a similar trend in leaves. Alfalfa leaves and stems from five different nodes (1, 2, 4, 6, and 8) were used as materials to investigate molecular regulatory mechanisms in lignin synthesis by RNA sequencing. Respectively 8074 and 7752 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in leaves and stems, and 1694 DEGs were common to the two tissues. “Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis” was the most enriched pathway in both leaves and stems, and 134 key regulatory genes in lignin synthesis were identified by a weighted gene co-expression network analysis. The NAC family transcription factor MsNST1 gene was highly expressed in old leaf and stem tissues. The deposition pattern of G- and S-lignin differed among M. truncatula wild-type, nst1 mutants, and overexpression lines, and the transcription levels of lignin synthesis genes such as HCT, F5H, and COMT in these three materials also differed. These results suggest that MsNST1 affects lignin synthesis in alfalfa. These findings provide a genetic basis and abundant gene resources for further study of the molecular mechanisms of lignin synthesis, laying a foundation for low-lignin alfalfa breeding research.