Phenotypic and transcriptomic responses of the sun- and shade-loving plants to sunlight and dim-light conditions

Elucidating how plant species respond to variable light conditions is important to understanding the ecological adaptation to heterogeneous natural habitats. However, the phenotypic responses and gene regulatory network of shade-loving plants under distinct light conditions have remained largely unclear. In this study, we assessed the differences in phenotypic and transcriptomic responses between Arabidopsis (sun-loving) and Panax ginseng (shade-loving) to sunlight and dim-light conditions. Our results showed that, compared to the Arabidopsis, ginseng plants not only exhibited a lower degree of phenotypic plasticity in response to distinct light conditions, but also showed higher photosynthetic efficiency under dim-light conditions. Further time-course transcriptome profiling and gene structural analyses revealed that differentially transcriptional regulation together with increased copy number of the photosynthesis-related genes (i.e., electron transfer and carbon fixation) may improve the photosynthetic efficiency of ginseng plants under dim-light conditions. In contrast, the loss-function and inactivation of phytochrome-interacting factors are potentially associated with the observed low degree of phenotypic plasticity of ginseng plants under the changing light conditions. Our study provides new insights on how shade-loving plants respond to variable light conditions. Candidate genes related to shade adaptation in ginseng provide valuable genetic resources for future molecular breeding of high-density planting crops. HighlightThe shade-loving species Panax ginseng possesses lower phenotypic plasticity under distinct light conditions and shows high photosynthesis efficiency under dim-light condition.