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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 March 2024) | Viewed by 8033

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Prof. Dr. Kang Wei

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Guest Editor

Tea Research Institute Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (TRICAAS), Hangzhou 310008, China
Interests: breeding technology development and exploration of secondary mechanism in tea plants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Mingzhe Yao

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Guest Editor

Tea Research Institute Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (TRICAAS), Hangzhou 310008, China
Interests: screening and utilization of elite tea germplasm; gene identification for tea quality; breeding of tea plant (Camellia sinensis)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the publication of high-quality reference sequences of tea plants and re-sequencing data from different tea accessions, advances in tea plant research have been developed, from secondary metabolism to genetic mechanism exploration, the identification of certain bioactive compounds, and novel genes related to key traits, all of which have largely extended our understanding of tea genetics and breeding. Among them, phenotypic changes including flavonoids, amino acids, caffeine, appearance, and responses to environmental factors in special tea varieties have attracted the attention of both customers and scientists. These changing phenotypes are closely associated with key genes which are largely unknown. Exploring these genes and understanding their underlying mechanisms will improve tea breeding in the future.

This Special Issue of “International Journal of Molecular Sciences” will highlight the exploration of new genes and their potential molecular mechanisms, such as changes in tea quality, fertility, and agronomy traits, as well as stress responses. Research papers related to tea propagation and new technologies in tea breeding, in addition to relative review papers, are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Kang Wei
Prof. Dr. Mingzhe Yao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

tea plant (Camellia sinensis)
molecular mechanism
secondary metabolites
stress response
quality-related component
genes identification
QTL mapping
molecular functional markers

Published Papers (7 papers)

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15 pages, 3460 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bulked Segregant RNA-Seq Reveals Different Gene Expression Patterns and Mutant Genes Associated with the Zigzag Pattern of Tea Plants (Camellia sinensis)

by Yuan-Yuan Ye, Ding-Ding Liu, Rong-Jin Tang, Yang Gong, Chen-Yu Zhang, Piao Mei, Chun-Lei Ma and Jie-Dan Chen

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(8), 4549; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25084549 - 21 Apr 2024

Viewed by 314

Abstract

The unique zigzag-patterned tea plant is a rare germplasm resource. However, the molecular mechanism behind the formation of zigzag stems remains unclear. To address this, a BC1 genetic population of tea plants with zigzag stems was studied using histological observation and bulked segregant RNA-seq. The analysis revealed 1494 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the upright and zigzag stem groups. These DEGs may regulate the transduction and biosynthesis of plant hormones, and the effects on the phenylpropane biosynthesis pathways may cause the accumulation of lignin. Tissue sections further supported this finding, showing differences in cell wall thickness between upright and curved stems, potentially due to lignin accumulation. Additionally, 262 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across 38 genes were identified as key SNPs, and 5 genes related to zigzag stems were identified through homologous gene function annotation. Mutations in these genes may impact auxin distribution and content, resulting in the asymmetric development of vascular bundles in curved stems. In summary, we identified the key genes associated with the tortuous phenotype by using BSR-seq on a BC1 population to minimize genetic background noise. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tea Tree Genetics and Breeding)

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14 pages, 3995 KiB

Open AccessArticle

CRISPR/Cas9 Editing Sites Identification and Multi-Elements Association Analysis in Camellia sinensis

by Haozhen Li, Kangkang Song, Bin Li, Xiaohua Zhang, Di Wang, Shaolin Dong and Long Yang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(20), 15317; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242015317 - 18 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1045

Abstract

CRISPR/Cas9 is an efficient genome-editing tool, and the identification of editing sites and potential influences in the Camellia sinensis genome have not been investigated. In this study, bioinformatics methods were used to characterise the Camellia sinensis genome including editing sites, simple sequence repeats (SSRs), G-quadruplexes (GQ), gene density, and their relationships. A total of 248,134,838 potential editing sites were identified in the genome, and five PAM types, AGG, TGG, CGG, GGG, and NGG, were observed, of which 66,665,912 were found to be specific, and they were present in all structural elements of the genes. The characteristic region of high GC content, GQ density, and PAM density in contrast to low gene density and SSR density was identified in the chromosomes in the joint analysis, and it was associated with secondary metabolites and amino acid biosynthesis pathways. CRISPR/Cas9, as a technology to drive crop improvement, with the identified editing sites and effector elements, provides valuable tools for functional studies and molecular breeding in Camellia sinensis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tea Tree Genetics and Breeding)

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22 pages, 16489 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Shading-Dependent Greening Process of the Leaves in the Light-Sensitive Albino Tea Plant ‘Huangjinya’: Possible Involvement of the Light-Harvesting Complex II Subunit of Photosystem II in the Phenotypic Characteristic

by Ying-Qi Wang, Jing-Jing Ye, Hong-Zhiyuan Yang, Da Li, Xiao-Xiang Li, Yong-Kang Wang, Xin-Qiang Zheng, Jian-Hui Ye, Qing-Sheng Li, Yue-Rong Liang and Jian-Liang Lu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(12), 10314; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241210314 - 18 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1622

Abstract

The light-sensitive albino tea plant can produce pale-yellow shoots with high levels of amino acids which are suitable to process high-quality tea. In order to understand the mechanism of the albino phenotype formation, the changes in the physio-chemical characteristics, chloroplast ultrastructure, chlorophyll-binding proteins, and the relevant gene expression were comprehensively investigated in the leaves of the light-sensitive albino cultivar ‘Huangjinya’ (‘HJY’) during short-term shading treatment. In the content of photosynthetic pigments, the ultrastructure of the chloroplast, and parameters of the photosynthesis in the leaves of ‘HJY’ could be gradually normalized along with the extension of the shading time, resulting in the leaf color transformed from pale yellow to green. BN-PAGE and SDS-PAGE revealed that function restoration of the photosynthetic apparatus was attributed to the proper formation of the pigment-protein complexes on the thylakoid membrane that benefited from the increased levels of the LHCII subunits in the shaded leaves of ‘HJY’, indicating the low level of LHCII subunits, especially the lack of the Lhcb1 might be responsible for the albino phenotype of the ‘HJY’ under natural light condition. The deficiency of the Lhcb1 was mainly subject to the strongly suppressed expression of the Lhcb1.x which might be modulated by the chloroplast retrograde signaling pathway GUN1 (GENOMES UNCOUPLED 1)-PTM (PHD type transcription factor with transmembrane domains)-ABI4 (ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 4). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tea Tree Genetics and Breeding)

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14 pages, 5641 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multi-Omics Analysis Reveals Mechanisms of Strong Phosphorus Adaptation in Tea Plant Roots

by Xiaomei Liu, Jing Tian, Guodao Liu and Lili Sun

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(15), 12431; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241512431 - 04 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 803

Abstract

Low phosphorus (P) is a major limiting factor for plant growth in acid soils, which are preferred by tea plants. This study aims to investigate the unique mechanisms of tea plant roots adaptation to low-P conditions. Tea plant roots were harvested for multi-omics analysis after being treated with 0 µmol·L⁻¹ P (0P) and 250 µmol·L⁻¹ P (250P) for 30 days. Under 250P conditions, root elongation was significantly inhibited, and the density of lateral roots was dramatically increased. This suggests that 250P may inhibit the elongation of tea plant roots. Moreover, the P concentration in roots was about 4.58 times higher than that under 0P, indicating that 250P may cause P toxicity in tea plant roots. Contrary to common plants, the expression of CsPT1/2 in tea plant roots was significantly increased by four times at 250P, which indicated that tea plant roots suffering from P toxicity might be due to the excessive expression of phosphate uptake-responsible genes under 250P conditions. Additionally, 94.80% of P-containing metabolites accumulated due to 250P stimulation, most of which were energy-associated metabolites, including lipids, nucleotides, and sugars. Especially the ratio of AMP/ATP and the expression of energy sensor CsSnRKs were inhibited by P application. Therefore, under 250P conditions, P over-accumulation due to the excessive expression of CsPT1/2 may inhibit energy metabolism and thus the growth of tea plant roots. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tea Tree Genetics and Breeding)

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29 pages, 4752 KiB

Open AccessReview

Application of Multi-Perspectives in Tea Breeding and the Main Directions

by Haozhen Li, Kangkang Song, Xiaohua Zhang, Di Wang, Shaolin Dong, Ying Liu and Long Yang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(16), 12643; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241612643 - 10 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1851

Abstract

Tea plants are an economically important crop and conducting research on tea breeding contributes to enhancing the yield and quality of tea leaves as well as breeding traits that satisfy the requirements of the public. This study reviews the current status of tea plants germplasm resources and their utilization, which has provided genetic material for the application of multi-omics, including genomics and transcriptomics in breeding. Various molecular markers for breeding were designed based on multi-omics, and available approaches in the direction of high yield, quality and resistance in tea plants breeding are proposed. Additionally, future breeding of tea plants based on single-cellomics, pangenomics, plant–microbe interactions and epigenetics are proposed and provided as references. This study aims to provide inspiration and guidance for advancing the development of genetic breeding in tea plants, as well as providing implications for breeding research in other crops. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tea Tree Genetics and Breeding)

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20 pages, 7664 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integrated Analysis of Metabolome and Transcriptome Revealed Different Regulatory Networks of Metabolic Flux in Tea Plants [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] with Varied Leaf Colors

by Yazhen Zhang, Liyuan Wang, Xiangrui Kong, Zhihui Chen, Sitong Zhong, Xinlei Li, Ruiyang Shan, Xiaomei You, Kang Wei and Changsong Chen

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(1), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010242 - 23 Dec 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 819

Abstract

Leaf color variations in tea plants were widely considered due to their attractive phenotypes and characteristic flavors. The molecular mechanism of color formation was extensively investigated. But few studies focused on the transformation process of leaf color change. In this study, four strains of ‘Baijiguan’ F1 half-sib generation with similar genetic backgrounds but different colors were used as materials, including Green (G), Yellow-Green (Y-G), Yellow (Y), and Yellow-Red (Y-R). The results of broadly targeted metabolomics showed that 47 metabolites were differentially accumulated in etiolated leaves (Y-G, Y, and Y-R) as compared with G. Among them, lipids were the main downregulated primary metabolites in etiolated leaves, which were closely linked with the thylakoid membrane and chloroplast structure. Flavones and flavonols were the dominant upregulated secondary metabolites in etiolated leaves, which might be a repair strategy for reducing the negative effects of dysfunctional chloroplasts. Further integrated analysis with the transcriptome indicated different variation mechanisms of leaf phenotype in Y-G, Y, and Y-R. The leaf color formation of Y-G and Y was largely determined by the increased content of eriodictyol-7-O-neohesperidoside and the enhanced activities of its modification process, while the color formation of Y-R depended on the increased contents of apigenin derivates and the vigorous processes of their transportation and transcription factor regulation. The key candidate genes, including UDPG, HCT, CsGSTF1, AN1/CsMYB75, and bHLH62, might play important roles in the flavonoid pathway. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tea Tree Genetics and Breeding)

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17 pages, 3988 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transcriptome and Biochemical Analyses of a Chlorophyll-Deficient Bud Mutant of Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis)

by Yuanyuan Li, Chenyu Zhang, Chunlei Ma, Liang Chen and Mingzhe Yao

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(20), 15070; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242015070 - 11 Oct 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 982

Abstract

Tea leaf-color mutants have attracted increasing attention due to their accumulation of quality-related biochemical components. However, there is limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind leaf-color bud mutation in tea plants. In this study, a chlorina tea shoot (HY) and a green tea shoot (LY) from the same tea plant were investigated using transcriptome and biochemical analyses. The results showed that the chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll contents in the HY were significantly lower than the LY’s, which might have been caused by the activation of several genes related to chlorophyll degradation, such as SGR and CLH. The down-regulation of the CHS, DFR, and ANS involved in flavonoid biosynthesis might result in the reduction in catechins, and the up-regulated GDHA and GS2 might bring about the accumulation of glutamate in HY. RT-qPCR assays of nine DEGs confirmed the RNA-seq results. Collectively, these findings provide insights into the molecular mechanism of the chlorophyll deficient-induced metabolic change in tea plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tea Tree Genetics and Breeding)

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