Transcriptome and metabolite analyses provide insights into zigzag-shaped stem formation in tea plants (Camellia sinensis)

作者：Hongli Cao, Feiquan Wang, Hongzheng Lin, Yijun Ye, Yucheng Zheng, Jiamin Li, Zhilong Hao, Naixing Ye, Chuan Yue · 发表于：BMC Plant Biology · 年份：2020 · DOI：10.1186/s12870-020-2311-z · 被引用次数：20 · 研究领域：Plant Molecular Biology Research、Plant Gene Expression Analysis、Plant tissue culture and regeneration

BACKGROUND: Shoot orientation is important for plant architecture formation, and zigzag-shaped shoots are a special trait found in many plants. Zigzag-shaped shoots have been selected and thoroughly studied in Arabidopsis; however, the regulatory mechanism underlying zigzag-shaped shoot development in other plants, especially woody plants, is largely unknown. RESULTS: In this study, tea plants with zigzag-shaped shoots, namely, Qiqu (QQ) and Lianyuanqiqu (LYQQ), were investigated and compared with the erect-shoot tea plant Meizhan (MZ) in an attempt to reveal the regulation of zigzag-shaped shoot formation. Tissue section observation showed that the cell arrangement and shape of zigzag-shaped stems were aberrant compared with those of normal shoots. Moreover, a total of 2175 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified from the zigzag-shaped shoots of the tea plants QQ and LYQQ compared to the shoots of MZ using transcriptome sequencing, and the DEGs involved in the "Plant-pathogen interaction", "Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis", "Flavonoid biosynthesis" and "Linoleic acid metabolism" pathways were significantly enriched. Additionally, the DEGs associated with cell expansion, vesicular trafficking, phytohormones, and transcription factors were identified and analysed. Metabolomic analysis showed that 13 metabolites overlapped and were significantly changed in the shoots of QQ and LYQQ compared to MZ. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that zigzag-shaped shoot formation mi...