背景:咖啡酸O-甲基转移酶(COMT)是调节褪黑激素合成的关键酶,参与调节褪黑激素的生长,发展,以及植物对非生物胁迫的反应。茶树是一种全球流行的饮料,由于其药用特性已经使用了几个世纪,包括它减少炎症的能力,改善消化,增强免疫功能。通过分析COMT家族内部的遗传变异,在帮助茶树抵御逆境的同时,还可以更深入地了解不同茶品种如何产生和代谢儿茶素,然后用于开发具有所需风味特征和健康益处的新茶品种。
结果:在这项研究中,基于优质茶(山茶)植物基因组数据库,共鉴定出25个CsCOMT基因。CsCOMT与其他物种的COMT的系统发育树分析表明,COMT分为四个亚科(I类,II,III,IV),CsCOMT分布在I类,二级,第三类。CsCOMT不仅在茶树内部进行大规模的成对基因重组,但也与拟南芥和杨树(毛果杨)共享2个和7个共线基因,分别。发现CsCOMT的启动子区域富含与植物生长和胁迫响应相关的顺式作用元件。通过分析以前的转录组数据,发现CsCOMT家族的一些成员在不同的应激处理下表现出显著的组织特异性表达和差异表达。随后,我们选择了6个CsCOMT,利用qRT-PCR进一步验证了它们在不同组织器官中的表达水平。此外,我们通过病毒诱导基因沉默(VIGS)方法沉默了CsCOMT19,发现CsCOMT19正调节茶树中褪黑激素的合成。
结论:这些结果将有助于了解CsCOMT基因家族的功能,并为进一步研究CsCOMT基因在调节茶树生长中的作用提供有价值的信息。发展,和对非生物胁迫的反应。
BACKGROUND: Caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) is a key enzyme that regulates melatonin synthesis and is involved in regulating the growth, development, and response to abiotic stress in plants. Tea plant is a popular beverage consumed worldwide, has been used for centuries for its medicinal properties, including its ability to reduce inflammation, improve digestion, and boost immune function. By analyzing genetic variation within the COMT family, while helping tea plants resist adversity, it is also possible to gain a deeper understanding of how different tea varieties produce and metabolize catechins, then be used to develop new tea cultivars with desired flavor profiles and health benefits.
RESULTS: In this study, a total of 25 CsCOMT genes were identified based on the high-quality tea (Camellia sinensis) plant genome database. Phylogenetic tree analysis of CsCOMTs with COMTs from other species showed that COMTs divided into four subfamilies (Class I, II, III, IV), and CsCOMTs was distributed in Class I, Class II, Class III. CsCOMTs not only undergoes large-scale gene recombination in pairs internally in tea plant, but also shares 2 and 7 collinear genes with Arabidopsis thaliana and poplar (Populus trichocarpa), respectively. The promoter region of CsCOMTs was found to be rich in cis-acting elements associated with plant growth and stress response. By analyzing the previously transcriptome data, it was found that some members of CsCOMT family exhibited significant tissue-specific expression and differential expression under different stress treatments. Subsequently, we selected six CsCOMTs to further validated their expression levels in different tissues organ using qRT-PCR. In addition, we silenced the CsCOMT19 through virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) method and found that CsCOMT19 positively regulates the synthesis of melatonin in tea plant.
CONCLUSIONS: These results will contribute to the understanding the functions of CsCOMT gene family and provide valuable information for further research on the role of CsCOMT genes in regulating tea plant growth, development, and response to abiotic stress.