Integrated proteomic and metabolomic analyses reveal the importance of aroma precursor accumulation and storage in methyl jasmonate-primed tea leaves

In response to preharvest priming with exogenous methyl jasmonate(MeJA),tea plants adjust their physiological behavior at the molecular level.The whole-organism reconfiguration of aroma formation from the precursor to storage is poorly understood.In this study,we performed iTRAQ proteomic analysis and identified 337,246,and 413 differentially expressed proteins in tea leaves primed with MeJA for 12 h,24h,and 48 h,respectively.Furthermore,a total of 266 nonvolatile and 100 volatile differential metabolites were identified by utilizing MS-based metabolomics.A novel approach that incorporated the integration of extended self-organizing map-based dimensionality was applied.The vivid time-scale changes tracing physiological responses in MeJA-primed tea leaves are marked in these maps.Jasmonates responded quickly to the activation of the jasmonic acid pathway in tea leaves,while hydroxyl and glycosyl jasmonates were biosynthesized simultaneously on a massive scale to compensate for the exhausted defense.The levels ofα-linolenic acid,geranyl diphosphate,farnesyl diphosphate,geranylgeranyl diphosphate,and phenylalanine,which are crucial aroma precursors,were found to be significantly changed in MeJA-primed tea leaves.Green leaf volatiles,volatile terpenoids,and volatile phenylpropanoids/benzenoids were spontaneously biosynthesized from responding precursors and subsequently converted to their corresponding glycosidic forms,which can be stably stored in tea leaves.This study elucidated the physiological response of tea leaves primed with exogenous methyl jasmonate and revealed the molecular basis of source and sink changes on tea aroma biosynthesis and catabolism in response to exogenous stimuli.The results significantly enhance our comprehensive understanding of tea plant responses to exogenous treatment and will lead to the development of promising biotechnologies to improve fresh tea leaf quality.

Morphology and glucosinolate profiles of chimeric Brassica and the responses of Bemisia tabaci in host selection,oviposition and development

Plant structures and chemicals, which are developed from the shoot apical meristem（SAM）, form the main barriers to insect feeding. A plant chimera containing cells of different genetic origins in the SAM will be morphologically and chemically different compared with the parents and thus may result in differential resistance to herbivores. In this study, we explore if particular elements of plant resistance are localized in one of the layers of SAM; the replacement of one cell layer in a chimera may be linked to change of a single resistance trait to herbivores. The morphology and glucosinolate profiles of two periclinal chimeras（labeled as TTC and TCC, respectively） and grafted parents tuber mustard（labeled as TTT） and red cabbage（labeled as CCC） were compared and the performance of whitefly（Bemisia tabaci） in host selection, oviposition preference and development were assessed under controlled conditions. Both chimeras possessed leaf trichomes as parent tuber mustard TTT, however, TTC had significantly more trichomes than TCC and parent TTT. Leaf wax content of both chimeras was intermediate between the two parents. Five aliphatic and two indole glucosinolates were detected in both chimeras, whereas three aliphatic glucosinolates（3-methyl-sulfinylpropyl, 4-methyl-sulfinylbutyl and 2-hydroxy-3-butenyl） were not detected in tuber mustard, and one aliphatic glucosinolate（3-butenyl） was not detected in red cabbage. Unexpectedly for a chimera, the quantities of two aliphatic glucosinolates（3-methyl-sulfinylpropyl and 4-methyl-sulfinylbutyl） in both TTC and TCC were 3-to 5-fold higher than parents. In olfactory preference assays, B. tabaci showed preference to CCC, followed by TCC, TTC and TTT, and number of eggs laid showed the same pattern： CCC〉TCC〉TTC〉TTT. Interestingly, more whiteflies landed on TTT plants than the other three types in a free choice experiment and the developmental duration from egg to adult was the shortest on TTT and increased in the order TTT