Differential expression (DE) analysis
From the transcriptome assembly, 17,908 transcripts were functionally annotated and subjected to DE analysis. As the principle component analysis showed that the majority of variation (57.9%, PC1) comprised a stress response (Fig. 1), DE analysis was designed for pairwise comparisons of S43/S35 and S46/S35, aiming to identify transcriptomic responses induced specific to the hyperosmotic treatment. In the DE analysis, 3,553 DEGs were identified at 12 h (S43/S35), with 1,936 showing upregulation and 1,617 showing downregulation. While at 24 h (S46/S35), a total of 6,618 DEGs were identified, with 2,927 and 3,691 showing upregulation and downregulation, respectively.