Physiological responses and transcriptomic analysis of pepper seedling under low temperature stress
WANG Xiaodi
WANG Xize
GONG Nianshuang
LI Ning
XU Kai
YIN Yanxu
GAO Sheng-hua
ZHAN Xiaohui
CHEN Weifang
YUAN Weiling
YAO Minghua
WANG Fei
Abstract：Pepper is one of the most important vegetable crops in China,with a cultivation scale and economic value rank-ing among the top in the world.However,low temperature significantly inhibits the growth of pepper.This study focuses on the cold tolerant material KC13 and the cold sensitive material KC14.Through phenotype identification,cellular physi-ology,biochemical indicators,and transcriptome analysis,underlying the differences in cold tolerance between the two materials were explored.The results showed that low temperature stress caused wilting of leaves and damage to cell struc-ture in the cold sensitive material KC14,whereas there was no significant change in the cold tolerant material KC13.Bio-chemical analysis shows that the total chlorophyll content of cold resistant materials is less affected by low temperatures,and has higher POD activity and soluble sugar content,slower MDA accumulation rate,compared to KC14.Transcrip-tome sequencing data KEGG enrichment analysis and RT-qPCR showed that the expression patterns of key genes in-volved in the oxidative phosphorylation pathway were specifically up-regulated in KC13.In summary,cold tolerant pep-per material KC13 enhances plant stress resistance by maintaining photosynthetic stability,enhancing antioxidant capaci-ty,accumulating osmoregulatory substances and activating oxidative phosphorylation pathway.The research results laid the foundation for molecular breeding of cold tolerance in pepper.
Keywords：PepperLow temperature stressTranscriptome analysisDifferentially expressed geneOxidative phosphory-lation
Publication Date：2026-01-05
Online Publishing Date：2026-04-02(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：14( 12-25 )