Graphical abstract: Major physiological, molecular, and cellular responses of sweet potato grown in 50% Mars-simulated soil (MGS-1). A. Growth and morphological changes observed under MGS-1 conditions. B . Evidence of nutritional starvation in affected plants. C. Molecular responses across different tissues. D. Management of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under stress conditions. E. Cell wall modifications detected in nearly all cell types. F. Candidate long noncoding RNAs influencing plant phenotype, including alterations in plant height and leaf number. • Investigated sweet potato’s molecular response to Martian soil analog (MGS-1). • Identified 2344 mRNAs and 172 lncRNAs differentially expressed across tissues. • Enriched pathways included stress response, ROS detox, and cell wall remodeling. • lncRNAs MSTRG.1111.1 and 5653.1 regulate key stress genes via trans mechanisms. • VIGS-based validation confirms lncRNAs’ role in Martian soil stress adaptation. Understanding how crops adapt to extraterrestrial environments is essential for sustainable space agriculture. Sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas ), a nutritionally rich and stress-resilient crop, is a promising candidate for cultivation under Martian-like conditions, characterized by high salinity, heavy metal contamination, and poor water retention. This study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying sweet potato adaptation to Martian soil analog conditions using Mars Global Simulant-1 (MGS-1). Leaf, shoot, and storage root tissues of sweet potato grown in MGS-1 were subjected to RNA sequencing. Differentially expressed mRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were identified, and functional enrichment analyses were performed. Predicted trans -acting candidate lncRNAs were validated via virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), with transcript levels confirmed by RT-qPCR. Transcriptome profiling revealed 2,344 differentially expressed mRNAs and 172 lncRNAs, enriched in abiotic stress-related pathways including secondary metabolite biosynthesis, ROS detoxification, zeatin biosynthesis, cell wall remodeling, and membrane transport. Several lncRNAs were predicted to regulate stress-responsive genes, including Kunitz trypsin inhibitors , myo-inositol oxygenase , cytochrome P450s , and WRKY transcription factors . Notably, MSTRG.1111.1 and MSTRG.5653.1 were identified as trans -acting regulators of myo-inositol oxygenase and Kunitz trypsin inhibitor genes, respectively. VIGS and RT-qPCR confirmed their regulatory roles, with transcript downregulation ranging from 0.5- to 2.8-fold. This study provides the first comprehensive mRNA and lncRNA expression atlas of sweet potato under Martian soil analog conditions. The findings reveal key molecular pathways and lncRNA-mediated regulatory mechanisms for abiotic stress adaptation, highlighting sweet potato’s potential as a resilient crop for future space agriculture.
Chinreddy et al. (Wed,) studied this question.