Transcriptome and co-expression network analysis reveal molecular mechanisms of mucilage formation during seed development in Artemisia sphaerocephala

Seed mucilage has significant economic value. However, the identification of key regulatory genes in mucilage formation and their molecular regulatory mechanism remain unknown. Artemisia sphaerocephala seeds are rich in mucilage. In this study, A. sphaerocephala seeds in 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 days after flowering were used as materials to reveal their molecular regulatory mechanism in mucilage formation by RNA-sequencing and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). 21 key regulatory genes for mucilage formation were identified, including AsKNAT7 and AsTTG1 genes, as well as AsNAM and AsAP2 gene families. From 10–30 days after flowering, both AsNAM and AsAP2 supported mucilage formation. From 40–70 days after flowering, promotion by AsNAM and AsAP2 was weakened and the up-regulation of AsKNAT7 inhibited mucilage formation, leading to no further increases in mucilage content. This in depth elucidation of seed mucilage formation lays the foundation for the application of mucilage.