Transcriptomics: illuminating the molecular landscape of vegetable crops: a review

Abstract

Vegetables play a crucial role in global health and nutrition. Transcriptomics, a branch of functional genomics, has emerged as a powerful tool for studying gene expression patterns in various organisms, including vegetables. It is a dynamic genomics field that studies the entire set of RNA molecules in a cell, known as the transcriptome. This review offers a thorough overview of transcriptomics applications in vegetables, covering insights gained, challenges faced and future directions. It explores experimental techniques, bioinformatics tools and key findings from transcriptomic studies in various vegetable species. We summarize influential studies in vegetable crop transcriptomics and discuss how transcriptomics enhances crop productivity, disease resistance and nutritional quality in vegetables. Recent advances in RNA-seq technology have led to significant progress in characterizing the transcriptomes of diverse cell types. Transcriptomic analyses of vegetables have unveiled the dynamic patterns of gene expression, exposing temporal and spatial regulatory mechanisms. Transcriptomics identifies differentially expressed genes, aiding in finding candidate genes for desirable traits, enabling targeted breeding and genetic engineering. This review highlights its significance in understanding complex regulatory networks in vegetable development and response to environmental cues. This overview serves as a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners interested in transcriptomic studies.