Tomato leaves under stress: a comparison of stress response to mild abiotic stress between a cultivated and a wild tomato species

Abstract

Tomato is one of the most produced crop plants on earth and growing in the fields and greenhouses all over the world. Breeding with known traits of wild species can enhance stress tolerance of cultivated crops. In this study, we investigated responses of the transcriptome as well as primary and secondary metabolites in leaves of a cultivated and a wild tomato to several abiotic stresses such as nitrogen deficiency, chilling or warmer temperatures, elevated light intensities and combinations thereof. The wild species responded different to varied temperature conditions compared to the cultivated tomato. Nitrogen deficiency caused the strongest responses and induced in particular the secondary metabolism in both species but to much higher extent in the cultivated tomato. Our study supports the potential of a targeted induction of valuable secondary metabolites in green residues of horticultural production, that will otherwise only be composted after fruit harvest. In particular, the cultivated tomato showed a strong induction in the group of mono caffeoylquinic acids in response to nitrogen deficiency. In addition, the observed differences in stress responses between cultivated and wild tomato can lead to new breeding targets for better stress tolerance.

GXP: Analyze and Plot Plant Omics Data in Web Browsers

“…To help the reader and user explore the value of using GXP and to benchmark GXP’s functions, we included real research data from a published study on stress response in two tomato species [ 38 ]. We verified with the aid of one of the authors of this original study that (i) GXP reproduces and visualizes the already published findings, (ii) aids in the exploration of Omics data and promotes the formation of scientific hypotheses ( Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 ), and (iii) thus helps to elucidate, e.g., the genetic response to experimental stimuli, i.e., the original biological question motivating the study.…”

“…To demonstrate GXP’s qualities, published data sets from two tomato species were used [ 38 ]. In brief, two tomato species ( S. lycopersicum and S. pennellii ) were grown in rockwool blocks and watered with water for 16 days.…”

“…Gene Expression Plotter is freely available on GitHub for direct use (https://usadellab.github.io/GeneExpressionPlots; accession date 11 January 2022). It is provided with example RNAseq data from a study on stress response contrasting wild with domesticated tomato species [38]. In collaboration with one of the original authors, this data has been used to directly compare and benchmark the results produced by GXP with the already published findings.…”

Characterization of Bioactive Phenolic Compounds in Seeds of Chilean Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) Germplasm

“…However, these secondary metabolites are formed in the plant as an adaptive response to environmental factors, and their concentrations and levels can significantly vary depending on factors such as genetic background, specific environmental factors, and their interactions [32][33][34]. Recent investigations revealed the effects of agroecological factors on bioactive phenolic compounds in other diverse crops such as Brassica species, tomatoes, baby leaf lettuces, and strawberry fruits [35][36][37][38]. While the nutritional value of C. quinoa has been extensively studied, a comprehensive understanding of the phenolic profile of Chilean C. quinoa germplasm is still in its nascent stages.…”

Effect of Stress Signals and Ib-rolB/C Overexpression on Secondary Metabolite Biosynthesis in Cell Cultures of Ipomoea batatas

“…The phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway is activated as a consequence of extreme temperatures, drought, salinization, UV-radiation, light intensity, toxic metals, or wounding, causing the accumulation of special metabolites possessing antioxidant properties, including chlorogenic acid and its derivatives. Therefore, salt stress stimulated CQAs synthesis in the Lonicera japonica leaves [ 12 ], drought intensified the accumulation of phenolic acids and flavonoids in Amaranthus tricolor [ 13 ], UV increased the concentration of phenolic compounds, including phenolic acids, in the leaves of lettuce [ 14 ], and several abiotic stresses caused secondary metabolism, particularly mono-CQAs in tomato leaves [ 15 ]. Sucrose-induced osmotic stress has been found to manage the phenolic acids, rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic acid, and caffeic acid production in the Eryngium planum callus [ 16 ].…”