Dataset Information

Metabolite signatures of diverse Camellia sinensis tea populations.

ABSTRACT: The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) presents an excellent system to study evolution and diversification of the numerous classes, types and variable contents of specialized metabolites. Here, we investigate the relationship among C. sinensis phylogenetic groups and specialized metabolites using transcriptomic and metabolomic data on the fresh leaves collected from 136 representative tea accessions in China. We obtain 925,854 high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) enabling the refined grouping of the sampled tea accessions into five major clades. Untargeted metabolomic analyses detect 129 and 199 annotated metabolites that are differentially accumulated in different tea groups in positive and negative ionization modes, respectively. Each phylogenetic group contains signature metabolites. In particular, CSA tea accessions are featured with high accumulation of diverse classes of flavonoid compounds, such as flavanols, flavonol mono-/di-glycosides, proanthocyanidin dimers, and phenolic acids. Our results provide insights into the genetic and metabolite diversity and are useful for accelerated tea plant breeding.

SUBMITTER: Yu X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7642434 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Metabolite signatures of diverse Camellia sinensis tea populations.

Yu Xiaomin X Xiao Jiajing J Chen Si S Yu Yuan Y Ma Jianqiang J Lin Yuzhen Y Li Ruizi R Lin Jun J Fu Zhijun Z Zhou Qiongqiong Q Chao Qianlin Q Chen Liang L Yang Zhenbiao Z Liu Renyi R

Nature communications 20201104 1

The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) presents an excellent system to study evolution and diversification of the numerous classes, types and variable contents of specialized metabolites. Here, we investigate the relationship among C. sinensis phylogenetic groups and specialized metabolites using transcriptomic and metabolomic data on the fresh leaves collected from 136 representative tea accessions in China. We obtain 925,854 high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) enabling the refined g ...[more]

PMID: 33149146

Similar Datasets

Project description:Tea plants (Camellia sinensis) present an excellent system to study evolution and diversification of specialized metabolites due to their abundance in classes, numbers and contents. A large number of tea cultivars have been cultivated throughout the world not only because of their adaption to different environments but of selection for specific flavors. The chemical and genetic basis for unique taste and aroma of different tea cultivars remains largely unknown, but is critical for guiding genetic breeding of new cultivars. Using transcriptomic data from 136 representative tea accessions in China, we obtain 925,854 high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) useful for marker-assisted breeding. Phylogenetic and population structure analyses separate sampled tea accessions into five major groups. Different major alleles are identified on 1183 SNP sites for the two major types of tea, C. sinensis var. assamica (CSA) and C. sinensis var. sinensis (CSS), reflecting fixation of these alleles after population divergence. Non-targeted metabolomic analyses detect 2,818 and 2,311 metabolic features in tea samples in positive and negative ionization modes, respectively, including 355 and 286 metabolites respectively that are differentially accumulated in different tea groups. Each phylogenetic group contains signature metabolites. In particular, CSA tea accessions are featured with high accumulation of diverse classes of flavonoid compounds, such as flavanols, flavonol mono-/di-glycosides and proanthocyanidin dimers. Comparisons of gene expression profiles of different tea groups identify hundreds of differentially expressed genes with some involved in the biosynthesis of characteristic tea metabolites, reflecting a combinational effect of genetic and environmental factors. Taken together, our study provides new insights into the phylogenetic relationships, molecular markers, metabolite compositions, and gene expression profiles of representative cultivated tea accessions in China, which are beneficial for targeted tea breeding and improvement.

Project description:BackgroundMajor secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, caffeine, and theanine, are important components of tea products and are closely related to the taste, flavor, and health benefits of tea. Secondary metabolite biosynthesis in Camellia sinensis is differentially regulated in different tissues during growth and development. Until now, little was known about the expression patterns of genes involved in secondary metabolic pathways or their regulatory mechanisms. This study aimed to generate expression profiles for C. sinensis tissues and to build a gene regulation model of the secondary metabolic pathways.ResultsRNA sequencing was performed on 13 different tissue samples from various organs and developmental stages of tea plants, including buds and leaves of different ages, stems, flowers, seeds, and roots. A total of 43.7 Gbp of raw sequencing data were generated, from which 347,827 unigenes were assembled and annotated. There were 46,693, 8446, 3814, 10,206, and 4948 unigenes specifically expressed in the buds and leaves, stems, flowers, seeds, and roots, respectively. In total, 1719 unigenes were identified as being involved in the secondary metabolic pathways in C. sinensis, and the expression patterns of the genes involved in flavonoid, caffeine, and theanine biosynthesis were characterized, revealing the dynamic nature of their regulation during plant growth and development. The possible transcription factor regulation network for the biosynthesis of flavonoid, caffeine, and theanine was built, encompassing 339 transcription factors from 35 families, namely bHLH, MYB, and NAC, among others. Remarkably, not only did the data reveal the possible critical check points in the flavonoid, caffeine, and theanine biosynthesis pathways, but also implicated the key transcription factors and related mechanisms in the regulation of secondary metabolite biosynthesis.ConclusionsOur study generated gene expression profiles for different tissues at different developmental stages in tea plants. The gene network responsible for the regulation of the secondary metabolic pathways was analyzed. Our work elucidated the possible cross talk in gene regulation between the secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways in C. sinensis. The results increase our understanding of how secondary metabolic pathways are regulated during plant development and growth cycles, and help pave the way for genetic selection and engineering for germplasm improvement.

Dataset Information

Metabolite signatures of diverse Camellia sinensis tea populations.

Publications

Metabolite signatures of diverse Camellia sinensis tea populations.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets