Transcriptome reveals molecular mechanism of cabbage response to low temperature stress and functional study of BoPYL8 gene

Cabbage mainly originates from Europe and is now widely grown around the world, and is considered one of the healthiest vegetables. Low temperature stress is an important factor affecting cabbage yield, however, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that regulate cabbage response to low temperature stress. Here, We conducted molecular mechanism studies on cabbage response to low temperature stress from three aspects: plant physiology, transcriptomics, and molecular biology. Low temperature stress could induce the soluble substance content and activate the antioxidant enzyme activity of cabbage. We identified 7,960 and 8,356 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) respectively at 4 and 12 h of low temperature treatment in cabbage. We identified 130 and 124 enriched molecular regulatory pathways in cabbage in response to low temperature stress for 4 and 12 h, respectively, with 121 pathways shared between the two time points. The abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway is an important pathway involved in the low temperature tolerance of cabbage, among which the BoPYL8 gene has the ability to enhance plant low temperature tolerance. In this study, the transcriptional regulatory mechanism of cabbage response to low temperature stress was revealed from the perspective of gene expression, providing a theoretical basis and genetic resources for cold-resistant cabbage breeding.