Calciphytoliths (calcium oxalate crystals) analysis for the identification of decayed tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.).
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Zhang J
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4208061 | biostudies-other | 2014
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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Project description:Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) contains abundant secondary metabolites, which are regulated by numerous enzymes. Hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (HCT) is involved in the biosynthesis pathways of polyphenols and flavonoids, and it can catalyze the transfer of hydroxyconnamoyl coenzyme A to substrates such as quinate, flavanol glycoside, or anthocyanins, thus resulting in the production of chlorogenic acid or acylated flavonol glycoside. In this study, the CsHCT gene was cloned from the Chin-Shin Oolong tea plant, and its protein functions and characteristics were analyzed. The full-length cDNA of CsHCT contains 1311 base pairs and encodes 436 amino acid sequences. Amino acid sequence was highly conserved with other HCTs from Arabidopsis thaliana, Populus trichocarpa, Hibiscus cannabinus, and Coffea canephora. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that CsHCT is highly expressed in the stem tissues of both tea plants and seedlings. The CsHCT expression level was relatively high at high altitudes. The abiotic stress experiment suggested that low temperature, drought, and high salinity induced CsHCT transcription. Furthermore, the results of hormone treatments indicated that abscisic acid (ABA) induced a considerable increase in the CsHCT expression level. This may be attributed to CsHCT involvement in abiotic stress and ABA signaling pathways.
| S-EPMC6321142 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Self-incompatibility (SI) is a major barrier that obstructs the breeding process in most horticultural plants including tea plants (Camellia sinensis). The aim of this study was to elucidate the molecular mechanism of SI in tea plants through a high throughput transcriptome analysis. RESULTS:In this study, the transcriptomes of self- and cross-pollinated pistils of two tea cultivars 'Fudingdabai' and 'Yulv' were compared to elucidate the SI mechanism of tea plants. In addition, the ion components and pollen tube growth in self- and cross-pollinated pistils were investigated. Our results revealed that both cultivars had similar pollen activities and cross-pollination could promote the pollen tube growth. In tea pistils, the highest ion content was potassium (K+), followed by calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+) and phosphorus (P5+). Ca2+ content increased after self-pollination but decreased after cross-pollination, while K+ showed reverse trend with Ca2+. A total of 990 and 3 common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in un-pollinated vs. pollinated pistils and self- vs. cross-pollinated groups after 48 h, respectively. Function annotation indicated that three genes encoding UDP-glycosyltransferase 74B1 (UGT74B1), Mitochondrial calcium uniporter protein 2 (MCU2) and G-type lectin S-receptor-like serine/threonine-protein kinase (G-type RLK) might play important roles during SI process in tea plants. CONCLUSION:Ca2+ and K+ are important signal for SI in tea plants, and three genes including UGT74B1, MCU2 and G-type RLK play essential roles during SI signal transduction.
| S-EPMC5918555 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Theanine, a unique amino acid in Camellia sinensis, accounts for more than 50% of total free amino acids in tea and has a significant contribution to the quality of green tea. Previous research indicated that theanine is synthesized from glutamic acid (Glu) and ethylamine mainly in roots, and that theanine accumulation depends on the availability of ethylamine which is derived from alanine (Ala) decarboxylation catalyzed by alanine decarboxylase (AlaDC). However, the specific gene encoding AlaDC protein remains to be discovered in tea plants or in other species. To explore the gene of AlaDC in tea plants, the differences in theanine contents and gene expressions between pretreatment and posttreatment of long-time nitrogen starvation were analyzed in young roots of two tea cultivars. A novel gene annotated as serine decarboxylase (SDC) was noted for its expression levels, which showed high consistency with theanine content, and the expression was remarkably high in young roots under sufficient nitrogen condition. To verify its function, full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) of this candidate gene was cloned from young roots of tea seedlings, and the target protein was expressed and purified from Escherichia coli (E. coli). The enzymatic activity of the protein for Ala and Ser was measured in vitro using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). The results illustrated that the target protein could catalyze the decarboxylation of Ala despite of its high similarity with SDC from other species. Therefore, this novel gene was identified as AlaDC and named CsAlaDC. Furthermore, the gene expression levels of CsAlaDC in different tissues of tea plants were also quantified with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The results suggest that transcription levels of CsAlaDC in root tissues are significantly higher than those in leaf tissues. That may explain why theanine biosynthesis preferentially occurs in the roots of tea plants. The expression of the gene was upregulated when nitrogen was present, suggesting that theanine biosynthesis is regulated by nitrogen supply and closely related to nitrogen metabolism for C. sinensis. The results of this study are significant supplements to the theanine biosynthetic pathway and provide evidence for the differential accumulation of theanine between C. sinensis and other species.
| S-EPMC6384637 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background and aimsTea plants (Camellia sinensis L.) accumulate large amounts of fluoride (F) from soils containing normal F concentrations. The present experiments examined the effects of pH and Ca on F uptake by this accumulating plant species.MethodsThe effect of pH was assessed in two experiments, one using uptake solutions with different pHs, and the other using lime, as CaO, applied to the soil. The effect of Ca was examined by analysing F concentrations in plants supplied with varying amounts of Ca, as Ca(NO3)2, either in uptake solutions or through the soil.Key resultsF uptake was highest at solution pH 5.5, and significantly lower at pH 4.0. In the soil experiment, leaf F decreased linearly with the amounts of lime, which raised the soil pH progressively from 4.32 to 4.91, 5.43, 5.89 and, finally, 6.55. Liming increased the water-soluble F content of the soil. Including Ca in the uptake solution or adding Ca to soil significantly decreased leaf F concentrations. The distribution pattern of F in tea plants was not altered by Ca treatment, with most F being allocated to leaves. The activity of F- in the uptake solution was unaffected and water-soluble F in the soil was sometimes increased by added Ca.ConclusionsF uptake by tea plants, which are inherently able to accumulate large quantities of F, was affected both by pH and by Ca levels in the medium. The reduced F uptake following Ca application appeared not to be due simply to the precipitation of CaF2 in solution and soil or to the complexing of Ca and F in roots, although these factors cannot be dismissed. It was more likely due to the effect of Ca on the properties of cell wall or membrane permeability in the solution experiments, and to alteration of F speciations and their quantities in soil solutions following Ca application.
| S-EPMC4242264 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Tea products made from purple leaves are highly preferred by consumers due to the health benefits. This study developed a proteome reference map related to color changes during leaf growth in tea (Camellia sinensis) plant with purple young shoots using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). Forty-six differentially expressed proteins were detected in the gel and successfully identified by using MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS. The pronounced changes in the proteomic profile between tender purple leaves (TPL) and mature green leaves (MGL) included: 1) the lower activity of proteins associated with CO2 assimilation, energy metabolism and photo flux efficiency and higher content of anthocyanins in TPL than those in MGL may protect tender leaves against photo-damage; 2) the higher abundance of chalcone synthase (CHS), chalcone isomerase (CHI) and flavonol synthase (FLS) likely contributes to the synthesis of anthocyanins, catechins and flavonols in TPL tissues; 3) higher abundance of stress response proteins, such as glutathione S-transferases (GST) and phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPx), could enhance the tolerance of TPL tissues to adverse condition in; and 4) the increased abundance of proteins related to protein synthesis, nucleic acids and cell wall proteins should be beneficial for the proliferation and expansion of leaf cell in TPL tissues. qPCR analysis showed that the expression of differentially abundant proteins was regulated at the transcriptional level. Therefore, the results indicated that higher abundance of CHI and CHS may account for the production of the purple-shoot phenotype in Wuyiqizhong 18 and thereby, enhancing the anthocyanin biosynthesis. The higher abundance of glutamine synthetase (GS) proteins related to the theanine biosynthesis may improve the flavor of tea products from TPL materials. Thus, this work should help to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the changes in leaf color alteration.
| S-EPMC5433784 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Flavonol glycosides, which are often converted from aglycones in a process catalyzed by UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs), play an important role for the health of plants and animals. In the present study, a gene encoding a flavonoid 7-O-glycosyltransferase (CsUGT75L12) was identified in tea plants. Recombinant CsUGT75L12 protein displayed glycosyltransferase activity on the 7-OH position of multiple phenolic compounds. In relative comparison to wild-type seeds, the levels of flavonol-glucosides increased in Arabidopsis seeds overexpressing CsUGT75L12. In order to determine the key amino acid residues responsible for the catalytic activity of the protein, a series of site-directed mutagenesis and enzymatic assays were performed based on the 3D structural modeling and docking analyses. These results suggested that residue Q54 is a double binding site that functions as both a sugar receptor and donor. Residues H56 and T151, corresponding to the basic active residues H20 and D119 of VvGT1, were not irreplaceable for CsUGT75L12. In addition, residues Y182, S223, P238, T239, and F240 were demonstrated to be responsible for a 'reversed' sugar receptor binding model. The results of single and triple substitutions confirmed that the function of residues P238, T239, and F240 may substitute or compensate with each other for the flavonoid 7-O-glycosyltransferase activity.
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Project description:Alternative splicing (AS) increases the diversity of transcripts and proteins through the selection of different splice sites and plays an important role in the growth, development and stress tolerance of plants. With the release of the reference genome of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) and the development of transcriptome sequencing, researchers have reported the existence of AS in tea plants. However, there is a lack of a platform, centered on different RNA-seq datasets, that provides comprehensive information on AS.To facilitate access to information on AS and reveal the molecular function of AS in tea plants, we established the first comprehensive AS database for tea plants (TeaAS, http://www.teaas.cn/index.php ). In this study, 3.96 Tb reads from 66 different RNA-seq datasets were collected to identify AS events. TeaAS supports four methods of retrieval of AS information based on gene ID, gene name, annotation (non-redundant/Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes/gene ontology annotation or chromosomal location) and RNA-seq data. It integrates data pertaining to genome annotation, type of AS event, transcript sequence, and isoforms expression levels from 66 RNA-seq datasets. The AS events resulting from different environmental conditions and that occurring in varied tissue types, and the expression levels of specific transcripts can be clearly identified through this online database. Moreover, it also provides two useful tools, Basic Local Alignment Search Tool and Generic Genome Browser, for sequence alignment and visualization of gene structure.The features of the TeaAS database make it a comprehensive AS bioinformatics platform for researchers, as well as a reference for studying AS events in woody crops. It could also be helpful for revealing the novel biological functions of AS in gene regulation in tea plants.
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Project description:BackgroundBranch angle is a pivotal component of tea plant architecture. Tea plant architecture not only affects tea quality and yield but also influences the efficiency of automatic tea plant pruning. However, the molecular mechanism controlling the branch angle, which is an important aspect of plant architecture, is poorly understood in tea plants.ResultsIn the present study, three CsLAZY genes were identified from tea plant genome data through sequence homology analysis. Phylogenetic tree displayed that the CsLAZY genes had high sequence similarity with LAZY genes from other plant species, especially those in woody plants. The expression patterns of the three CsLAZYs were surveyed in eight tissues. We further verified the expression levels of the key CsLAZY1 transcript in different tissues among eight tea cultivars and found that CsLAZY1 was highly expressed in stem. Subcellular localization analysis showed that the CsLAZY1 protein was localized in the plasma membrane. CsLAZY1 was transferred into Arabidopsis thaliana to investigate its potential role in regulating shoot development. Remarkably, the CsLAZY1 overexpressed plants responded more effectively than the wild-type plants to a gravity inversion treatment under light and dark conditions. The results indicate that CsLAZY1 plays an important role in regulating shoot gravitropism in tea plants.ConclusionsThe results provide important evidence for understanding the functions of CsLAZY1 in regulating shoot gravitropism and influencing the stem branch angle in tea plants. This report identifies CsLAZY1 as a promising gene resource for the improvement of tea plant architecture.
| S-EPMC8164267 | biostudies-literature
Project description:MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small RNAs playing a crucial role in plant growth and development, as well as stress responses. Among them, some are highly evolutionally conserved in the plant kingdom, this provide a powerful strategy for identifying miRNAs in a new species. Tea (Camellia sinensis) is one of the most important commercial beverage crops in the world, but only a limited number of miRNAs have been identified. In the present study, a total of 14 new C. sinensis miRNAs were identified by expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis from 47452 available C. sinensis ESTs. These miRNAs potentially target 51 mRNAs, which can act as transcription factors, and participate in stress response, transmembrane transport, and signal transduction. Analysis of gene ontology (GO), based on these targets, suggested that 37 biological processes were involved, such as oxidation-reduction process, stress response, and transport. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis inferred that the identified miRNAs took part in 13 metabolic networks. Our study will help further understanding of the essential roles of miRNAs in C. sinensis growth and development, and stress response.
| S-EPMC3796643 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Tea green leafhopper [Empoasca (Matsumurasca) onukii Matsuda] is one of the most devastating pests of tea plants (Camellia sinensis), greatly impacting tea yield and quality. A thorough understanding of the interactions between the tea green leafhopper and the tea plant would facilitate a better pest management. To gain more insights into the molecular and biochemical mechanisms behind their interactions, a combined analysis of the global transcriptome and metabolome reconfiguration of the tea plant challenged with tea green leafhoppers was performed for the first time, complemented with phytohormone analysis. Non-targeted metabolomics analysis by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF MS), together with quantifications by ultra-performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-QqQ MS), revealed a marked accumulation of various flavonoid compounds and glycosidically bound volatiles but a great reduction in the level of amino acids and glutathione upon leaf herbivory. RNA-Seq data analysis showed a clear modulation of processes related to plant defense. Genes pertaining to the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids and flavonoids, plant-pathogen interactions, and the biosynthesis of cuticle wax were significantly up-regulated. In particular, the transcript level for a CER1 homolog involved in cuticular wax alkane formation was most drastically elevated and an increase in C29 alkane levels in tea leaf waxes was observed. The tea green leafhopper attack triggered a significant increase in salicylic acid (SA) and a minor increase in jasmonic acid (JA) in infested tea leaves. Moreover, transcription factors (TFs) constitute a large portion of differentially expressed genes, with several TFs families likely involved in SA and JA signaling being significantly induced by tea green leafhopper feeding. This study presents a valuable resource for uncovering insect-induced genes and metabolites, which can potentially be used to enhance insect resistance in tea plants.
| S-EPMC6978701 | biostudies-literature