Endogenous NO-mediated transcripts involved in photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) seedlings under drought stress

Abstract Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) is an important perennial legume and used as a forage crop worldwide, and has extensive resistance to various abiotic stresses. Nitric oxide (NO) plays a critical role in response to external and internal cues to regulate plant growth and development. However, endogenous NO-mediated molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance in alfalfa is poorly understood. To get a deeper insight into the regulate pathway of NO, RNA-Seq was used to profile transcriptome changes of alfalfa seedlings, which were treated with NO scavenger under normal and drought conditions. A total of 1,025 and 3,461 differently-expressed genes (FDR