Complementary transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of a chlorophyll-deficient tea plant cultivar reveal multiple metabolic pathway changes.
To uncover the mechanisms that underlie the chlorina phenotype of the tea plant, this study employs morphological, biochemical, transcriptomic, and iTRAQ-based proteomic analyses to compare the green tea cultivar LJ43 and the yellow-leaf tea cultivar ZH1. ZH1 exhibited the chlorina phenotype, with significantly decreased chlorophyll content and abnormal chloroplast development compared with LJ43. ZH1 also displayed higher theanine and free amino acid content and lower carotenoid and catechin content. Microarray and iTRAQ analyses indicated that the differentially expressed genes and proteins could be mapped to the following pathways: 'phenylpropanoid biosynthesis,' 'glutathione metabolism,' 'phenylalanine metabolism,' 'photosynthesis,' and 'flavonoid biosynthesis.' Altered gene and protein levels in these pathways may account for the increased amino acid content and reduced chlorophyll and flavonoid content of ZH1. Altogether, this study combines transcriptomic and proteomic approaches to better understand the mechanisms responsible for the chlorina phenotype.
National Center for Tea Plant Improvement, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China; Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou 310008, China. Electronic address: wanglu317@tricaas.com.
Lu
L
Wang
National Center for Tea Plant Improvement, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China; Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou 310008, China. Electronic address: caohongli@tricaas.com.
Hongli
H
Cao
Tea Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fu'an 355000, China. Electronic address: ccs6536597@163.com.
Changsong
C
Chen
National Center for Tea Plant Improvement, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China; Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou 310008, China. Electronic address: yuec@tricaas.com.
Chuan
C
Yue
National Center for Tea Plant Improvement, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China; Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou 310008, China. Electronic address: haoxy@tricaas.com.
Xinyuan
X
Hao
National Center for Tea Plant Improvement, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China; Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou 310008, China. Electronic address: yjyang@tricaas.com.
Yajun
Y
Yang
National Center for Tea Plant Improvement, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China; Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou 310008, China. Electronic address: wangxinchao@caas.cn.
Xinchao
X
Wang
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D028241:Camellia sinensis / Q000378:metabolism; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000737:chemistry; D002392:Catechin / Q000737:chemistry; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000737:chemistry*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D005971:Glutamates / Q000737:chemistry; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010641:Phenotype; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020543:Proteome / Q000378:metabolism*; D040901:Proteomics; D013662:Tea / Q000378:metabolism*; D059467:Transcriptome
D000596:Amino Acids; D005971:Glutamates; D010940:Plant Proteins; D020543:Proteome; D013662:Tea; D002734:Chlorophyll; D002338:Carotenoids; C026166:theanine; D002392:Catechin
Chlorina; Chlorophyll deficiency; ITRAQ; Microarray; Proteome; Tea plant (Camellia sinensis)