title: (Un)targeted metabolomics in Asteraceae: probing the applicability of essential-oil profiles of senecio L. (Senecioneae) taxa in chemotaxonomy.
abstract: The possible applicability of (un)targeted metabolomics (volatile metabolites) for revealing taxonomic/evolutionary relationships among Senecio L. species (Asteraceae; tribe Senecioneae) was explored. Essential-oil compositional data of selected Senecio/Senecioneae/Asteraceae taxa (93 samples in total) were mutually compared by means of multivariate statistical analysis (MVA), i.e., agglomerative hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis. The MVA input data set included the very first compositional data on the essential oil extracted from the aerial parts of S. viscosus L. as well as on four different Serbian populations of S. vernalis Waldst. & Kit. (oils from aerial parts and roots; eight samples in total). This metabolomic screening of Senecio/Senecioneae/Asteraceae species (herein presented results and data from the literature) pointed to short-chain alk-1-enes (e.g., oct-1-ene, non-1-ene, and undec-1-ene), with up to now restricted general occurrence in Plantae, as characteristic chemotaxonomic markers/targets for future metabolomic studies of Senecio/Senecioneae taxa. The MVA additionally showed that the evolution of the terpene metabolism (volatile mono- and sesquiterpenoids) within the Asteraceae tribe Senecioneae was not genera specific. However, the MVA did confirm plant-organ specific production/accumulation of volatiles within S. vernalis and suggested the existence of at least two volatile chemotypes for this species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, University of Niš, Višegradska 33, RS-18000 Niš (phone: +381-628049210; fax: +381-18533014). nikoradulovic@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Niko S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Radulović
authors.forename: Marko Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Mladenović
authors.forename: Polina D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Blagojević
mesh_terms: D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D055432:Metabolomics; D015335:Molecular Probes; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000378:metabolism*; D012674:Senecio / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D015335:Molecular Probes; D009822:Oils, Volatile
keywords: Chemotaxonomy; Essential oils; Metabolomics; Multivariate statistical analysis (MVA); Senecio