Identification of Candidate Genes Related to Stem Development in Brassica napus Using RNA-Seq

Plant stems are involved in supporting the entire plant body, thus having an important effect on the yield of oilseed rape. The current understanding of the mechanism of stem development in oilseed rape is limited. In this study, a detailed comparative analysis of mRNA expression levels in Brassica napus between strong- (sample numbers 7110, 7031, 7029, 7095, and 7109) and weak-stemmed (sample numbers 7003, 7088, and 7123) was performed using RNA sequencing. A total of 1531 significantly differentially expressed genes were identified, including genes involved in cellulose and lignin biosynthesis, cell wall-binding proteins, and hormone biosynthesis and response genes. These results provide valuable insights into the molecular basis of stem development at the transcriptional level and will be helpful for revealing the regulatory mechanisms of stem growth in B. napus.