Introduction

Along the altitude, environmental conditions vary significantly that might influence plant performance and distribution. Adaptation to these changing conditions is a complex biological process that involves reprogramming of genes, proteins and metabolites. The metabolic response of medicinal plants along the altitude has been less explored yet.

Objectives

In the present study, we investigated the adaptation strategies of Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth. along the altitude in organ specific manner using metabolomic approach.

Methods

Picrorhiza kurroa plants at flowering stage were randomly sampled from three altitudes viz. 3400, 3800 and 4100 masl in the Himalayan region. Leaf, root and rhizome were used for LC–MS based non-targeted metabolite profiling and targeted analysis of sugars, amino acids, picrosides and their corresponding phenolic acids.

Results

A total of 220, primary and secondary metabolites (SMs) were identified (p < 0.05) representing an extensive inventory of metabolites and their spatial distribution in P. kurroa. Differential accumulation of metabolites suggests source–sink carbon partitioning, occurrence of partial TCA cycle, ascorbate metabolism, purine catabolism and salvage route, pyrimidine synthesis, lipid alteration besides gibberellins and cytokinin inhibition might be an adaptive strategy to alpine environmental stress along the altitude. Further, marked differences of organ and altitude specific SMs reflect alteration in secondary metabolic pathways. Significant accumulation of picrosides suggests their probable role in P. kurroa adaptation.

Conclusion

This study provides a platform that would be useful in deciphering the role of metabolites considered to be involved in plant adaptation.

中文翻译：

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代谢特征为喜马拉雅山沿海拔的Picrorhiza kurroa适应提供了新颖的见解。

介绍

沿海拔高度变化的环境条件可能会影响工厂的性能和分布。适应这些不断变化的条件是一个复杂的生物过程，涉及基因，蛋白质和代谢物的重新编程。沿海拔高度的药用植物的代谢反应尚未被探索。

目标

在本研究中，我们研究了来自Benth的Picrorhiza kurroa Royle的适应策略。使用代谢组学方法以特定器官方式沿着海拔高度移动。

方法

从三个海拔高度随机取样开花期的Pirrorhiza kurroa植物。喜马拉雅地区的3400、3800和4100马斯尔。叶，根和根茎用于基于LC-MS的非目标代谢物谱分析，以及糖，氨基酸，苦味苷及其相应酚酸的目标分析。

结果

总共鉴定出220种主要和次要代谢物（p  <0.05）（p <0.05），这些代谢物在库氏假单胞菌中具有广泛的代谢物及其空间分布。代谢物的差异积累表明，源-汇碳分配，部分TCA循环的发生，抗坏血酸代谢，嘌呤分解代谢和挽救途径，嘧啶合成，除赤霉素和脂质激肽抑制作用外的脂质改变可能是适应海拔高度高山环境压力的一种适应策略。此外，器官和高度特异性SM的显着差异反映了次级代谢途径的改变。苦味苷的大量积累表明它们可能在库氏疟原虫适应中发挥作用。

结论

这项研究提供了一个平台，将有助于破译被认为与植物适应有关的代谢物的作用。