Uncovering Pathways Highly Correlated to NUE through a Combined Metabolomics and Transcriptomics Approach in Eggplant

Antonio Mauceri, Meriem Miyassa Aci, Laura Toppino, Sayantan Panda, Sagit Meir, Francesco Mercati, Fabrizio Araniti, Antonio Lupini, Maria Rosaria Panuccio, Giuseppe Leonardo Rotino, Asaph Aharoni, Maria Rosa Abenavoli, Francesco Sunseri

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) fertilization is one of the main inputs to increase crop yield and food production. However, crops utilize only 30–40% of N applied; the remainder is leached into the soil, causing environmental and health damage. In this scenario, the improvement of nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) will be an essential strategy for sustainable agriculture. Here, we compared two pairs of NUE-contrasting eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) genotypes, employing GC-MS and UPLC-qTOF-MS-based technologies to determine the differential profiles of primary and secondary metabolites in root and shoot tissues, under N starvation as well as at short- and long-term N-limiting resupply. Firstly, differences in the primary metabolism pathways of shoots related to alanine, aspartate and glutamate; starch, sucrose and glycine; serine and threonine; and in secondary metabolites biosynthesis were detected. An integrated analysis between differentially accumulated metabolites and expressed transcripts highlighted a key role of glycine accumulation and the related glyA transcript in the N-use-efficient genotypes to cope with N-limiting stress. Interestingly, a correlation between both sucrose synthase (SUS)- and fructokinase (scrK)-transcript abundances, as well as D-glucose and D-fructose accumulation, appeared useful to distinguish the N-use-efficient genotypes. Furthermore, increased levels of L-aspartate and L-asparagine in the N-use-efficient genotypes at short-term low-N exposure were detected. Granule-bound starch synthase (WAXY) and endoglucanase (E3.2.1.4) downregulation at long-term N stress was observed. Therefore, genes and metabolites related to these pathways could be exploited to improve NUE in eggplant.
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Model and Crop Plants: From Lab to Field)
Original languageEnglish
Article number700
Number of pages19
JournalPlants (Basel)
Volume11
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Mar 2022

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Plant Science
  • Ecology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Uncovering Pathways Highly Correlated to NUE through a Combined Metabolomics and Transcriptomics Approach in Eggplant'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this