Transcriptomic and physiological analyses of Miscanthus lutarioriparius in response to plumbum stress

Soil plumbum (Pb) contamination has become a global environmental issue, which threaten soil quality, food security and human health. Miscanthus species have exhibited high tolerance and restoration capacity to heavy metals stress. However, the mechanisms of Pb resistance in Miscanthus species have not been fully elucidated. In the current report, transcriptome changes of Miscanthus lutarioriparius response to different Pb treatment time were analyzed to investigate the key genes and pathways involved in Pb uptake patterns. Based on the assembled transcriptome data, totally 19332 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), in which 200–11313 DEGs in each comparison group were identified respectively. Gene ontology and pathway enrichment analysis found that different expression genes under Pb stress are predominantly involved in the pathways of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and metabolism, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites , photosynthesis and metal ion transporters. The results in the current study could serve as a ground work for future studies to determine the exact expression of genes in plants under heavy metal stress, the processes involved and how they can be efficiently utilized to improve plant tolerance to toxic metals and facilitate the remediation process. • Miscanthus species are potential second-generation bio-energy crops with extremely advantageous characteristics. • M. lutarioriparius can significantly reduce the accumulation of Pb and play a phytoremediation role in contaminated soil. • Transcriptome sequencing was employed in M. lutarioriparius and many differentially expressed genes were found to participate in the response to Pb accumulation. • This study will lay a foundation for future studying the molecular mechanisms of Pb accumulation and tolerance in Miscanthus species.