Glucosylation of (Z)-3-hexenol informs intraspecies interactions in plants: A case study in Camellia sinensis

The Reference Genome of Tea Plant and Resequencing of 81 Diverse Accessions Provide Insights into Its Genome Evolution and Adaptation

Tea plant is an important economic crop, which is used to produce the world's oldest and most widely consumed tea beverages. Here, we present a high-quality reference genome assembly of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis var. sinensis) consisting of 15 pseudo-chromosomes. LTR retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) account for 70.38% of the genome, and we present evidence that LTR-RTs play critical roles in genome size expansion and the transcriptional diversification of tea plant genes through preferential insertion in promoter regions and introns. Genes, particularly those coding for terpene biosynthesis proteins, associated with tea aroma and stress resistance were significantly amplified through recent tandem duplications and exist as gene clusters in tea plant genome. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences of 81 tea plant accessions with diverse origins revealed three well-differentiated tea plant populations, supporting the proposition for the southwest origin of the Chinese cultivated tea plant and its later spread to western Asia through introduction. Domestication and modern breeding left significant signatures on hundreds of genes in the tea plant genome, particularly those associated with tea quality and stress resistance. The genomic sequences of the reported reference and resequenced tea plant accessions provide valuable resources for future functional genomics study and molecular breeding of improved cultivars of tea plants.

(Z)-3-Hexen-1-ol accumulation enhances hyperosmotic stress tolerance in Camellia sinensis

Volatile components in fresh leaves are involved in the regulation of many stress responses, such as insect damage, fungal infection and high temperature. However, the potential function of volatile components in hyperosmotic response is largely unknown. Here, we found that 7-day hyperosmotic treatment specifically led to the accumulation of (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, (E)-2-hexenal and methyl salicylate. Transcriptome and qRT-PCR analyses suggested the activation of linolenic acid degradation and methyl salicylate processes. Importantly, exogenous (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol pretreatment dramatically enhanced the hyperosmotic stress tolerance of tea plants and decreased stomatal conductance, whereas (E)-2-hexenal and methyl salicylate pretreatments did not exhibit such a function. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that exogenous ABA induced the expressions of related enzyme genes, and (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol could up-regulate the expressions of many DREB and RD genes. Moreover, exogenous (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol tremendously induced the expressions of specific LOX and ADH genes within 24 h. Taken together, hyperosmotic stress induced (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol accumulation in tea plant via the activation of most LOX, HPL and ADH genes, while (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol could dramatically enhance the hyperosmotic stress tolerance via the decrease of stomatal conductance and MDA, accumulation of ABA and proline, activation of DREB and RD gene expressions, and probably positive feedback regulation of LOXs and ADHs. KEY MESSAGE: Hyperosmotic stress induced (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol accumulation in Camellia sinensis via the up-regulation of most LOX, HPL and ADH genes, while (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol could dramatically enhance the hyperosmotic stress tolerance via the decrease of stomatal conductance, accumulation of proline, activation of DREB and RD gene expressions, and probably positive feedback regulation of LOXs and ADHs.

Sesquiterpene glucosylation mediated by glucosyltransferase UGT91Q2 is involved in the modulation of cold stress tolerance in tea plants

Plants produce and emit terpenes, including sesquiterpenes, during growth and development, which serve different functions in plants. The sesquiterpene nerolidol has health-promoting properties and adds a floral scent to plants. However, the glycosylation mechanism of nerolidol and its biological roles in plants remained unknown. Sesquiterpene UDP-glucosyltransferases were selected by using metabolites-genes correlation analysis, and its roles in response to cold stress were studied. We discovered the first plant UGT (UGT91Q2) in tea plant, whose expression is strongly induced by cold stress and which specifically catalyzes the glucosylation of nerolidol. The accumulation of nerolidol glucoside was consistent with the expression level of UGT91Q2 in response to cold stress, as well as in different tea cultivars. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capacity of nerolidol glucoside was significantly higher than that of free nerolidol. Down-regulation of UGT91Q2 resulted in reduced accumulation of nerolidol glucoside, ROS scavenging capacity and tea plant cold tolerance. Tea plants absorbed airborne nerolidol and converted it to its glucoside, subsequently enhancing tea plant cold stress tolerance. Nerolidol plays a role in response to cold stress as well as in triggering plant-plant communication in response to cold stress. Our findings reveal previously unidentified roles of volatiles in response to abiotic stress in plants.

UGT74AF3 enzymes specifically catalyze the glucosylation of 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethylfuran-3(2H)-one, an important volatile compound in Camellia sinensis

4-Hydroxy-2,5-dimethylfuran-3(2H)-one (HDMF) is an important odorant in some fruits, and is proposed to play a crucial role in the caramel-like notes of some teas. However, its biosynthesis and metabolism in tea plants are still unknown. Here, HDMF glucoside was unambiguously identified as a native metabolite in tea plants. A novel glucosyltransferase UGT74AF3a and its allelic protein UGT74AF3b specifically catalyzed the glucosylation of HDMF and the commercially important structural homologues 2 (or 5)-ethyl-4-hydroxy-5 (or 2)-methylfuran-3(2H)-one (EHMF) and 4-hydroxy-5-methylfuran-3(2H)-one (HMF) to their corresponding β-D-glucosides. Site-directed mutagenesis of UGT74AF3b to introduce a single A456V mutation resulted in improved HDMF and EHMF glucosylation activity and affected the sugar donor preference compared with that of the wild-type control enzyme. The accumulation of HDMF glucoside was consistent with the transcript levels of UGT74AF3 in different tea cultivars. In addition, transient UGT74AF3a overexpression in tobacco significantly increased the HDMF glucoside contents, and downregulation of UGT74AF3 transcripts in tea leaves significantly reduced the concentration of HDMF glucoside compared with the levels in the controls. The identification of HDMF glucoside in the tea plant and the discovery of a novel-specific UDP-glucose:HDMF glucosyltransferase in tea plants provide the foundation for improvement of tea flavor and the biotechnological production of HDMF glucoside.

Carotenoid Cleavage Dioxygenase 4 Catalyzes the Formation of Carotenoid-Derived Volatile β-Ionone during Tea (Camellia sinensis) Withering

The carotenoid-derived volatile β-ionone plays an important role in the formation of green and black tea flavors due to its low odor threshold, but its formation and the gene(s) involved in its biosynthesis during the tea withering process is(are) still unknown. In this study, we found that the content of β-ionone increased during the tea withering process catalyzed by an unknown enzyme(s). Correlation analysis of expression patterns of Camellia sinensis carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase genes (CsCCDs) and the β-ionone content during the withering period revealed CsCCD4 as the most promising candidate. The full-length CsCCD4 gene was amplified from C. sinensis, and the biochemical function of the recombinant CsCCD4 protein was studied after coexpression in Escherichia coli strains engineered to accumulate β-carotene. The recombinant protein was able to cleave a variety of carotenoids at the 9-10 and 9'-10' double bonds. Volatile β-ionone was detected as the main product by gas and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The accumulation of β-ionone was consistent with the expression levels of CsCCD4 in different tissues and during the withering process. The CsCCD4 expression was induced by low temperature and mechanical damage stress but not by dehydration stress. The results demonstrate that CsCCD4 catalyzes the production of β-ionone in the tea plant and provide insight into its formation mechanism during the withering process.

Scenarios of Genes-to-Terpenoids Network Led to the Identification of a Novel α/β-Farnesene/β-Ocimene Synthase in Camellia sinensis

Terpenoids play vital roles in tea aroma quality and plants defense performance determination, whereas the scenarios of genes to metabolites of terpenes pathway remain uninvestigated in tea plants. Here, we report the use of an integrated approach combining metabolites, target gene transcripts and function analyses to reveal a gene-to-terpene network in tea plants. Forty-one terpenes including 26 monoterpenes, 14 sesquiterpenes and one triterpene were detected and 82 terpenes related genes were identified from five tissues of tea plants. Pearson correlation analysis resulted in genes to metabolites network. One terpene synthases whose expression positively correlated with farnesene were selected and its function was confirmed involved in the biosynthesis of α-farnesene, β-ocimene and β-farnesene, a very important and conserved alarm pheromone in response to aphids by both in vitro enzymatic assay in planta function analysis. In summary, we provided the first reliable gene-to-terpene network for novel genes discovery.

Tea plant genomics: achievements, challenges and perspectives

Tea is among the world's most widely consumed non-alcoholic beverages and possesses enormous economic, health, and cultural values. It is produced from the cured leaves of tea plants, which are important evergreen crops globally cultivated in over 50 countries. Along with recent innovations and advances in biotechnologies, great progress in tea plant genomics and genetics has been achieved, which has facilitated our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of tea quality and the evolution of the tea plant genome. In this review, we briefly summarize the achievements of the past two decades, which primarily include diverse genome and transcriptome sequencing projects, gene discovery and regulation studies, investigation of the epigenetics and noncoding RNAs, origin and domestication, phylogenetics and germplasm utilization of tea plant as well as newly developed tools/platforms. We also present perspectives and possible challenges for future functional genomic studies that will contribute to the acceleration of breeding programs in tea plants.

Glucosyltransferase CsUGT78A14 Regulates Flavonols Accumulation and Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging in Response to Cold Stress in Camellia sinensis

Glycosyltransferases (UGTs) play diverse roles in cellular metabolism by altering regulatory metabolites activities. However, the physiological roles of most members of UGTs in crops in response to abiotic stresses are unknown. We have identified a novel glycosyltransferase CsUGT78A14 in tea crops, an important economic crops, whose expression is strongly induced by cold stress. Biochemical analyses confirmed that CsUGT78A14-1 showed the highest activity toward kaempferol and is involved in the biosynthesis of kaempferol-diglucoside, whereas the product of CsUGT78A14-2, which differs from CsUGT78A14-1 by a single amino acid, was identified as 3-O-glucoside. The accumulation of kaempferol monoglucosides and diglucosides was consistent with the expression levels of CsUGT78A14 in response to cold stress, as well as in different tissues and genotypes of tea plants. Down-regulation of CsUGT78A14 resulted in reduced accumulation of flavonols, reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capacity and finally reduced tea plant stress tolerance under cold stress. The antioxidant capacity of flavonols aglycon was enhanced by glucosylation catalyzed by CsUGT78A14. The results demonstrate that CsUGT78A14 plays a critical role in cold stress by increasing flavonols accumulation and ROS scavenging capacity, providing novel insights into the biological role of UGTs and flavonoids in plants.

Glucosylation of the phytoalexin N-feruloyl tyramine modulates the levels of pathogen-responsive metabolites in Nicotiana benthamiana

Enzyme promiscuity, a common property of many uridine diphosphate sugar-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs) that convert small molecules, significantly hinders the identification of natural substrates and therefore the characterization of the physiological role of enzymes. In this paper we present a simple but effective strategy to identify endogenous substrates of plant UGTs using LC-MS-guided targeted glycoside analysis of transgenic plants. We successfully identified natural substrates of two promiscuous Nicotiana benthamiana UGTs (NbUGT73A24 and NbUGT73A25), orthologues of pathogen-induced tobacco UGT (TOGT) from Nicotiana tabacum, which is involved in the hypersensitive reaction. While in N. tabacum, TOGT glucosylated scopoletin after treatment with salicylate, fungal elicitors and the tobacco mosaic virus, NbUGT73A24 and NbUGT73A25 produced glucosides of phytoalexin N-feruloyl tyramine, which may strengthen cell walls to prevent the intrusion of pathogens, and flavonols after agroinfiltration of the corresponding genes in N. benthamiana. Enzymatic glucosylation of fractions of a physiological aglycone library confirmed the biological substrates of UGTs. In addition, overexpression of both genes in N. benthamiana produced clear lesions on the leaves and led to a significantly reduced content of pathogen-induced plant metabolites such as phenylalanine and tryptophan. Our results revealed some additional biological functions of TOGT enzymes and indicated a multifunctional role of UGTs in plant resistance.

Effects of trans-2-hexenal and cis-3-hexenal on post-harvest strawberry

Green leaf volatiles are emitted by green plants and induce defence responses. Those with antifungal activities in plants may replace chemicals as natural post-harvest treatments. We investigated the postharvest treatment of strawberry with trans-2-hexenal and cis-3-hexenal and observed a decrease in the mould infection rate. To determine the volatiles’ functions, we conducted a component analysis of the volatiles released from trans-2-hexenal-treated strawberry and analysed gene expression. Several acetates, which were expected to be metabolites of trans-2-hexenal in fruit, were released from treated strawberry; however, these acetates did not inhibit fungal growth. The gene expression analysis suggested that postharvest strawberries were not protected by jasmonic acid-mediated signalling but by another stress-related protein. Harvested strawberries experience stress induced by harvest-related injuries and are unable to perform photosynthesis, which might result in different responses than in normal plants.

Methyl Jasmonate-Induced Changes of Flavor Profiles During the Processing of Green, Oolong, and Black Tea

Tea aroma is one of the most important factors affecting the character and quality of tea. Here we describe the practical application of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) to improve the aroma quality of teas. The changes of selected metabolites during crucial tea processing steps, namely, withering, fixing and rolling, and fermentation, were analyzed. MeJA treatment of tea leaves (12, 24, 48, and 168 h) greatly promotes the aroma quality of green, oolong, and black tea products when comparing with untreated ones (0 h) and as confirmed by sensory evaluation. MeJA modulates the aroma profiles before, during, and after processing. Benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde, 2-phenylethyl alcohol, phenylacetaldehyde, and trans-2-hexenal increased 1.07- to 3-fold in MeJA-treated fresh leaves and the first two maintained at a higher level in black tea and the last two in green tea. This correlates with a decrease in aromatic amino acids by more than twofold indicating a direct relation to tryptophan- and phenylalanine-derived volatiles. MeJA-treated oolong tea was characterized by a more pleasant aroma. Especially the terpenoids linalool and oxides, geraniol, and carvenol increased by more than twofold.

Elucidation of ( Z)-3-Hexenyl-β-glucopyranoside Enhancement Mechanism under Stresses from the Oolong Tea Manufacturing Process

The enzymatic hydrolysis of glycosidically bound volatiles (GBVs) plays an important role in tea aroma formation during the tea manufacturing process. However, during the enzyme-active manufacturing process of oolong tea, most GBVs showed no reduction, while ( Z)-3-hexenyl-β-glucopyranoside significantly enhanced at the turnover stage. This study aimed to determine the reason for this increase in ( Z)-3-hexenyl-β-glucopyranoside. Continuous wounding stress in the turnover stage did not enhance the expression level of glycosyltransferase 1 ( CsGT1), while it induced a significant increase in the ( Z)-3-hexenol content ( p ≤ 0.05). Furthermore, observing the cell structures of tea leaves exposed to continuous wounding and subcellular localizations of CsGTs suggested that the interaction of ( Z)-3-hexenol (substrate) and CsGT1 (enzyme) was available. In conclusion, both continuous wounding and subcellular localizations led to a ( Z)-3-hexenyl-β-glucopyranoside enhancement mechanism during the oolong tea's turnover stage. These results advance our understanding of GBV formation during the tea manufacturing process and their relationship with the stress from the tea manufacturing process. In addition, the information will help us further evaluate contribution of GBVs to enzymatic formation of oolong tea aroma compounds.