Exploring Transcriptional Stress Responses in Sorghum and Evolutionary Insights Into YTH Domain Proteins Across Plants

Author

Shikha Bharti, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Date of Award

8-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Manohar Chakrabarti

Second Advisor

Michael Persans

Third Advisor

Bradley Christoffersen

Abstract

Understanding how plants respond to abiotic stress is crucial for enhancing crop resilience in the face of climate change. This thesis explores plant stress adaptation mechanisms through two interlinked studies that address different aspects of gene regulation. The first study investigates the transcriptional dynamics of Sorghum bicolor under drought and heat stress at 1-hour and 6-hour time points. By employing 3'-end RNA sequencing, this study provides a comprehensive temporal view of gene expression changes, revealing stress-responsive transcription factors, hormone-associated pathways, and chromatin regulators. The comparative analysis highlights both common and distinct molecular responses between drought and heat stress, providing insights on the complexity of stress-induced signaling pathways in sorghum across different time points.

The second study complements the transcriptional analysis by exploring the YTH domain-containing gene family, which encodes m6A RNA-binding proteins involved in epitranscriptional regulation. A comprehensive cross-species comparison across monocots, dicots, and lower plant lineages reveals evolutionary expansion of YTH genes in higher plants, correlating with increased regulatory complexity. Evolutionary, structural, and functional analyses, combined with expression profiling under stress, provide insights into the potential roles of YTH genes in stress adaptation and plant development.

Together, these studies offer a holistic view of sorghum’s gene regulatory landscape. By integrating transcriptional and epitranscriptional regulatory mechanisms, this thesis enhances our understanding of sorghum’s molecular responses to abiotic stress and lays the groundwork for future efforts to develop stress-resilient crops.

Comments

Copyright 2025 Shikha Bharti. All Rights Reserved. https://proquest.com/docview/3254046296

Recommended Citation

Bharti, S. (2025). Exploring transcriptional stress responses in sorghum and evolutionary insights into YTH domain proteins across plants [Master's thesis, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley]. ScholarWorks @ UTRGV. https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/etd/1767