Low Temperature Affects Fatty Acids Profiling and Key Synthesis Genes Expression Patterns in Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim

Abstract

Zanthoxylum bungeanum is one of the most important medicinal and edible homologous plants because of its potential health benefits and unique flavors. The chemical components in compositions and contents vary with plant genotype variations and various environmental stress conditions. Fatty acids participate in various important metabolic pathways in organisms to resist biotic and abiotic stresses. To determine the variations in metabolic profiling and genotypes, the fatty acid profiling and key differential genes under low temperature stress in two Z. bungeanum varieties, cold-tolerant (FG) and sensitive (FX), were investigated. Twelve main fatty acids were found in two Z. bungeanum varieties under cold stress. Results showed that the contents of total fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids in FG were higher than those in FX, which made FG more resistant to low temperature. Based on the result of orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis, palmitic acid, isostearic acid, linolenic acid and eicosenoic acid were the important differential fatty acids in FG under cold stress, while isomyristic acid, palmitic acid, isostearic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linolenic acid and eicosenoic acid were the important differential fatty acids in FX. Furthermore, fatty acid synthesis pathway genes fatty acyl-ACP thioesterase A (FATA), Delta (8)-fatty-acid desaturase 2 (SLD2), protein ECERIFERUM 3 (CER3), fatty acid desaturase 3 (FAD3) and fatty acid desaturase 5 (FAD5) played key roles in FG, and SLD2, FAD5, 3-oxoacyl-[acyl-carrier-protein] synthase I (KAS I), fatty acyl-ACP thioesterase B (FATB) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) were the key genes responding to low temperature in FX. The variation and strategies of fatty acids in two varieties of Z. bungeanum were revealed at the metabolic and molecular level. This work provides a reference for the study of chemical components in plant stress resistance.

Combined Transcriptome and Metabolome Profiling Provide Insights into Cold Responses in Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) Genotypes with Contrasting Cold-Stress Sensitivity

“…Overall, we observed that lipids accumulated in higher quantities in XY15 as compared to GX74 except 10-hydroxydecanoic acid, docosanoic acid (behenic acid), and arachidic acid ( Table S2 ). These observations generally support earlier reports that increasing the contents of lipids/fatty acids in the membrane lipids can enhance cold resistance in low-temperature environments [ 23 , 24 ]. Similar to the lipids, the amino acids and their derivatives’ contents increased in rapeseed siliques after cold-stress treatment, indicating that cold induces their biosynthesis.…”

Effects of Donor Ages and Propagation Methods on Seedling Growth of Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco in Winter

“…Under low-temperature stress, unsaturated fatty acids in plants are beneficial to maintain the stability of cell membranes [ 15 , 34 ]. In this study, the content of free fatty acid in seedlings propagated from 5-year-old P. orientalis donors was higher than that from 2000- and 3000-year-old ones, and the content was highest in cutting seedlings and least in sown seedlings.…”

“…[ 12 , 13 ]. With an increase in donor age, the production of flavonoid compounds in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway might be adversely affected in Ginkgo biloba L. [ 14 , 15 ]. The activities of various key enzymes of the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway, such as Phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL) and Chalcone synthase (CHS), were variably regulated under abiotic stresses [ 16 ].…”

“…The genes encoding omega-3 fatty acid desaturase and 3-ketoacyl-ACP synthase II involved in the fatty acid synthesis pathway can improve the cold tolerance of plants under a low-temperature environment [ 17 , 18 ]. Fatty acid synthesis pathway genes, including Fatty acyl-ACP thioesterase A ( FATA ), Delta(8)-fatty acid desaturase 2 ( SLD2 ), and Fatty acid desaturase 3 ( FAD3 ), play key roles in plant cold tolerance [ 15 ]. However, there have been few reports on the role of secondary metabolites in the resistance of different ages of P. orientalis to low-temperature stress.…”

Long-Chain Acyl-CoA Synthetases Promote Poplar Resistance to Abiotic Stress by Regulating Long-Chain Fatty Acid Biosynthesis

“…USFAs can increase the fluidity of the membrane, which is very important for activating the enzymes on the membrane. In plants, the higher USFA contents in membrane lipids can result in the temperature of transition of membrane lipids, which increases plant resistance to cold stress [ 12 ]. Therefore, the degree of USFAs in plant cell membrane directly determines the fluidity of the membrane and affects the resistance of plants to abiotic and biotic stresses [ 13 ].…”