Non-targeted and targeted metabolomics profiling of tea plants (Camellia sinensis) in response to its intercropping with Chinese chestnut

Tea and Pleurotus ostreatus intercropping modulates structure of soil and root microbial communities

Intercropping with Pleurotus ostreatus has been demonstrated to increase the tea yield and alleviate soil acidification in tea gardens. However, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, high-throughput sequencing and Biolog Eco analysis were performed to identify changes in the community structure and abundance of soil microorganisms in the P. ostreatus intercropped tea garden at different seasons (April and September). The results showed that the soil microbial diversity of rhizosphere decreased in April, while rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil microbial diversity increased in September in the P. ostreatus intercropped tea garden. The diversity of tea tree root microorganisms increased in both periods. In addition, the number of fungi associated with organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling, such as Penicillium, Trichoderma, and Trechispora, was significantly higher in the intercropped group than in the control group. Intercropping with P. ostreatus increased the levels of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and available phosphorus (AP) in the soil. It also improved the content of secondary metabolites, such as tea catechins, and polysaccharides in tea buds. Microbial network analysis showed that Unclassified_o__Helotiales, and Devosia were positively correlated with soil TN and pH, while Lactobacillus, Acidothermus, and Monascus were positively correlated with flavone, AE, and catechins in tea trees. In conclusion, intercropping with P. ostreatus can improve the physical and chemical properties of soil and the composition and structure of microbial communities in tea gardens, which has significant potential for application in monoculture tea gardens with acidic soils.

Intercropping fruit trees in tea plantation improves soil properties and the formation of tea quality components

Intercropping has been recommended as a beneficial cropping practice for improving soil characteristic and tea quality. However, there is limited research on the effects of intercropping fruit trees on soil chemical properties, soil aggregate structure, and tea quality components. In this study, intercropping fruit trees, specifically loquats and citrus, had a significant impact on the total available nutrients, AMN, and AP in soil. During spring and autumn seasons, the soil large-macroaggregates (>2 mm) proportion increased by 5.93% and 19.03%, as well as 29.23% and 19.14%, respectively, when intercropping loquats and citrus. Similarly, intercropping waxberry resulted in a highest small-macroaggregates (0.25 mm-2 mm) proportion at 54.89% and 77.32%. Soil aggregate stability parameters of the R0.25, MWD, and GMD were generally considered better soil aggregate stability indicators, and significantly improved in intercropping systems. Intercropping waxberry with higher values for those aggregate stability parameters and lower D values, showed a better soil aggregate distribution, while intercropping loquats and citrus at higher levels of AMN and AP in different soil aggregate sizes. As the soil aggregate sizes increased, the AMN and AP contents gradually decreased. Furthermore, the enhanced levels of amino acids were observed under loquat, waxberry, and citrus intercropping in spring, which increased by 27.98%, 27.35%, and 26.21%, respectively. The contents of tea polyphenol and caffeine were lower under loquat and citrus intercropping in spring. These findings indicated that intercropping fruit trees, specifically loquat and citrus, have immense potential in promoting the green and sustainable development of tea plantations.

Characterization of Key Odorants in Lushan Yunwu Tea in Response to Intercropping with Flowering Cherry

Lushan Yunwu tea (LSYWT) is a famous green tea in China. However, the effects of intercropping tea with flowering cherry on the overall aroma of tea have not been well understood. In this study, headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for analysis. A total of 54 volatile compounds from eight chemical classes were identified in tea samples from both the intercropping and pure-tea-plantation groups. Principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and odor activity value (OAV) methods combined with sensory evaluation identified cis-jasmone, nonanal, and linalool as the key aroma compounds in the intercropping group. Benzaldehyde, α-farnesene, and methyl benzene were identified as the main volatile compounds in the flowering cherry using headspace solid-phase microextraction/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS). These findings will enrich the research on tea aroma chemistry and offer new insights into the product development and quality improvement of LSYWT.

Additive and Specific Effects of Elicitor Treatments on the Metabolic Profile of Arabidopsis thaliana

Several elicitors of plant defense have been identified and numerous efforts to use them in the field have been made. Exogenous elicitor treatments mimic the in planta activation of pattern-triggered immunity (PTI), which relies on the perception of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) such as bacterial flg22 or fungal chitins. Early transcriptional responses to distinct PAMPs are mostly overlapping, regardless of the elicitor being used. However, it remains poorly known if the same patterns are observed for metabolites and proteins produced later during PTI. In addition, little is known about the impact of a combination of elicitors on PTI and the level of induced resistance to pathogens. Here, we monitored Arabidopsis thaliana resistance to the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pto DC3000) following application of flg22 and chitosan elicitors, used individually or in combination. A slight, but not statistically significant increase in induced resistance was observed when the elicitors were applied together when compared with individual treatments. We investigated the effect of these treatments on the metabolome by using an untargeted analysis. We found that the combination of flg22 and chitosan impacted a higher number of metabolites and deregulated specific metabolic pathways compared with the elicitors individually. These results contribute to a better understanding of plant responses to elicitors, which might help better rationalize their use in the field. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Zhisou powder displays therapeutic effect on chronic bronchitis through inhibiting PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α/VEGFA signaling pathway and reprograming metabolic pathway of arachidonic acid

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Zhisou Powder (ZP), one of the most common prescriptions in traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used in the treatment of acute or chronic bronchitis and chronic cough. The ZP was composed of Ziwan (Aster tataricus L. f.), Jiegeng (Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A. DC.), Jingjie (Nepeta cataria L.), Baibu (Stemona sessilifolia (Miq.) Miq.), Baiqian (Vincetoxicum glaucescens (Decne.) C. Y. Wu & D. Z. Li), Chenpi (Citrus × aurantium f. deliciosa (Ten.) M. Hiroe) and Gancao (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. ex DC.), with plant names among it checked with MPNS (http://mpns.kew.org). But until now, the key active components and targets of ZP, and related mechanism of ZP in the treatment of chronic bronchitis (CB) remain unclear.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study combined UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS, network pharmacology, metabonomics with experiment verification to explore potential mechanism of ZP in the treatment of CB.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS was performed to analyze the chemical components of ZP. The potentially effective components, attractive targets and critical signaling pathways of Zhisou Powder in the treatment of CB were screened by UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS combined with network pharmacology. Additionally, the CB model rats induced by SO2 were used to evaluate the anti-chronic bronchitis activity of ZP in vivo. The pulmonary pathology was determined by hematoxylin-eosin staining. Meanwhile, PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α/VEGFA signaling pathway predicted from network pharmacology was verified by Western blot and RT-PCR. Lastly, the metabolic changes of arachidonic acid (AA) in ZP-treated rats were quantitatively analyzed by LC-MS targeted metabonomics, and the proteins expression involved in AA metabolic pathway were detected by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and Western blot.

RESULTS

The main active components of ZP in the treatment of CB selected by network pharmacology and UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS technology were quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, galangin, isorhamnetin, naringenin, nobiletin, formononetin and so on. The core targets of these components were predicted to be TP53, TNF, IL-6, VEGFA, CASP3, IL-1β, JUN, PTGS2. Enrichment of KEGG pathway analysis found that PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α/VEGFA signaling pathway might play a key role in the treatment of CB with ZP. The in vivo study showed that ZP significantly improved the pathological changes of SO2-treated lung tissue and inhibited the activation of PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α/VEGFA signaling pathway. The changes of AA and its metabolites in vivo were studied by targeted metabonomics, and it showed that ZP could reprogram the disorder of AA metabolism which contributed to the treatment of CB with ZP.

CONCLUSION

ZP displayed good therapeutic effect on CB model rats through inhibiting PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α/VEGFA signaling pathway to exhibit anti-inflammatory effect and reprogramming disordered metabolic pathway of arachidonic acid.

Intercropping of Narrow-Leafed Lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) and Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Affects the Flavonoid Composition of Both Crops

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a common cereal crop in agricultural production and is often included in legume-cereal intercropping. Flavonoids, a major class of secondary metabolites found in barley, are involved in plant defense and protection. However, the effect of intercropping on barley flavonoids remains unknown. Herein, an intercropping system involving barley and lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) was studied. Intercropping increased the level of luteolin in lupin roots. Lupin-barley intercropping considerably increased genistein, rutin, and apigenin in barley shoots. Genistein and apigenin were also detected in intercropped barley roots and rhizosphere soil. The three flavonoids have been reported as defense compounds, suggesting that lupin triggers a defense response in barley to strengthen its survival ability.

Pea-Tea Intercropping Improves Tea Quality through Regulating Amino Acid Metabolism and Flavonoid Biosynthesis

Pea-tea intercropping is an excellent cultivation method that can improve tea quality. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. The present study was aimed at elucidating the mechanism of the effect of pea-tea intercropping on tea quality through a high-throughput method. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses were conducted to identify the changes in gene expression and metabolites changes intercropping, respectively. In addition, the amino acids and catechins were detected using the LC-MS method and quantified absolutely. The results showed that total polyphenols and catechins decreased but amino acids increased in pea intercropped tea shoots. Correspondingly, genes related to amino acid metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis were differentially expressed. For amino acid metabolism, 11 differentially expressed genes were identified, including 5 upregulated and 6 downregulated genes. Meanwhile, three genes involved in carbohydrate transport and metabolism were upregulated in pea intercropped tea plants. These genes were also involved in amino acid metabolism. For flavonoid biosynthesis, two downregulated genes were identified, which were the flavonol synthase and anthocyanidin synthase genes and followed a similar pattern to changes in catechins and polyphenols. These advances have opened new horizons for understanding the biochemical mechanisms of amino acids and flavonoids in improving tea quality in the pea-tea intercropping cultivation model.

Transcriptomic and metabolic analyses reveal the potential mechanism of increasing steroidal alkaloids in Fritillaria hupehensis through intercropping with Magnolia officinalis

Fritillaria hupehensis, a well-known medicinal perennial herb, is used as an antitussive and an expectorant. Continuous cropping and monoculture cultivation usually negativly affect the growth of F. hupehensis. Compared with the monoculture system, the F. hupehensis-Magnolia officinalis intercropping system significantly increases the yield of F. hupehensis. However, changes in steroidal alkaloid metabolites (the most important bioactive components) and their molecular regulatory mechanisms in F. hupehensis intercropping system remain unclear. We performed comparative transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of F. hupehensis bulbs grown in monocropping and intercropping systems. A total of 40 alkaloids were identified, including 26 steroidal alkaloids, 4 plumeranes, 3 phenolamines, 1 pyridine alkaloid, and 6 other alkaloids. The results showed that intercropping significantly increased the levels of peimine, peiminine, hupehenine, korseveridine, verticinone N-oxide, delafrine, tortifoline, pingbeinone, puqienine B, puqienine E, jervine, ussuriedine, hydroxymandelonitrile, N-feruloylputrescine, and N-benzylmethylene isomethylamine in F. hupehensis, but decreased the levels of indole, p-coumaroylputrescine, and N-benzylformamide. Transcriptome sequencing identified 11,466 differentially expressed unigenes in F. hupehensis under the intercropping system, of which 5,656 genes were up-regulated and 5,810 genes were down-regulated. We proposed a possible steroidal alkaloid biosynthesis pathway, in which 12 differentially expressed genes were identified. The higher expressions of these genes in the intercropping system positively correlated with the high accumulation of peimine, peiminine, and hupehenine, further validating our proposal. Moreover, the biological processes of oxidative phosphorylation and plant hormone signal transduction, cytochrome P450 enzymes, ATP-binding cassette transporters, and transcription factors may play pivotal roles in the regulation of steroidal alkaloid biosynthesis. This study revealed the underlying molecular mechanisms of intercropping in improving steroidal alkaloids in F. hupehensis at the transcriptome and metabolome levels. These findings provided a theoretical foundation for sustainable development of this ecological planting method.

Unpruning improvement the quality of tea through increasing the levels of amino acids and reducing contents of flavonoids and caffeine

Tea tree [Camellia sinensis var. sinensis or assamica (L.) O. Kuntze], an important crop worldwide, is usually pruned to heights of 70 to 80 cm, forming pruned tea tree (PTT) plantations. Currently, PTTs are transformed into unpruned tea tree (UPTT) plantations in Yunnan, China. This has improved the quality of tea products, but the underlying reasons have not been evaluated scientifically. Here, 12 samples of sun-dried green teas were manufactured using fresh leaves from an UPTT and the corresponding PTT. Using sensory evaluation, it was found that the change reduced the bitterness and astringency, while increasing sweetness and umami. Using high performance liquid chromatography detection showed that the contents of free amino acids (theanine, histidine, isoleucine and phenylalanine) and catechin gallate increased significantly (P < 0.05), whereas the content of alanine decreased significantly (P < 0.05). A liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry-based metabolomics analysis showed that the transformation to UPTT significantly decreased the relative levels of the majority of flavonols and tannins (P < 0.05), as well as γ-aminobutyric acid, caffeine and catechin (epigallocatechin, catechin, epigallocatechin gallate, gallocatechin gallate), while it significantly increased the relative contents of catechins (gallocatechin, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate and catechin gallate), phenolic acids and some amino acids (serine, oxidized glutathione, histidine, aspartic acid, glutamine, lysine, tryptophan, tyramine, pipecolic acid, and theanine) (P < 0.05). In summary, after transforming to UPTT, levels of amino acids, such as theanine increased significantly (P < 0.05), which enhanced the umami and sweetness of tea infusions, while the flavonoids (such as kaempferol, myricetin and glycosylated quercetin), and caffeine contents decreased significantly (P < 0.05), resulting in a reduction in the bitterness and astringency of tea infusions and an increase in tea quality.

Mass Spectrometry-Based Nontargeted and Targeted Analytical Approaches in Fingerprinting and Metabolomics of Food and Agricultural Research

Mass spectrometry (MS)-based techniques have been extensively applied in food and agricultural research. This review aims to address the advances and applications of MS-based analytical strategies in nontargeted and targeted analysis and summarizes the recent publications of MS-based techniques, including flow injection MS fingerprinting, chromatography-tandem MS metabolomics, direct analysis using ambient mass spectrometry, as well as development in MS data deconvolution software packages and databases for metabolomic studies. Various nontargeted and targeted approaches are employed in marker compounds identification, material adulteration detection, and the analysis of specific classes of secondary metabolites. In the newly emerged applications, the recent advances in computer tools for the fast deconvolution of MS data in targeted secondary metabolite analysis are highlighted.

Impacts of Intercropped Maize Ecological Shading on Tea Foliar and Functional Components, Insect Pest Diversity and Soil Microbes

Ecological shading fueled by maize intercropping in tea plantations can improve tea quality and flavor, and efficiently control the population occurrence of main insect pests. In this study, tea plants were intercropped with maize in two planting directions from east to west (i.e., south shading (SS)) and from north to south (i.e., east shading (ES) and west shading (WS)) to form ecological shading, and the effects on tea quality, and the population occurrence and community diversity of insect pests and soil microbes were studied. When compared with the non-shading control, the tea foliar nutrition contents of free fatty acids have been significantly affected by the ecological shading. SS, ES, and WS all significantly increased the foliar content of theanine and caffeine and the catechin quality index in the leaves of tea plants, simultaneously significantly reducing the foliar content of total polyphenols and the phenol/ammonia ratio. Moreover, ES and WS both significantly reduced the population occurrences of Empoasca onukii and Trialeurodes vaporariorum. Ecological shading significantly affected the composition of soil microbial communities in tea plantations, in which WS significantly reduced the diversity of soil microorganisms.