ABSTRACT

The Physalis genus includes species of commercial importance due to their ornamental, edible and medicinal properties. These qualities stem from their variety of biologically active compounds. We performed a metabolomic analysis of three Physalis species, i.e., P. angulata, P. grisea, and P. philadelphica, differing in domestication stage and cultivation practices, to determine the degree of inter-species metabolite variation and to test the hypothesis that these related species mount a common metabolomic response to foliar damage caused by Trichoplusia ni larvae. The results indicated that the metabolomic differences detected in the leaves of these species were species-specific and remained even after T. ni herbivory. They also show that each Physalis species displayed a unique response to insect herbivory. This study highlighted the metabolite variation present in Physalis spp. and the persistence of this variability when faced with biotic stressors. Furthermore, it sets an experimental precedent from which highly species-specific metabolites could be identified and subsequently used for plant breeding programs designed to increase insect resistance in Physalis and related plant species.

摘要

酸浆属包括具有商业重要性的物种，因为它们具有观赏、食用和药用特性。这些品质源于它们的各种生物活性化合物。我们对驯化阶段和栽培实践不同的三种酸浆物种，即P.angulata、P.grisea和P.philadelphica进行了代谢组学分析，以确定种间代谢物变异的程度，并检验这些假设相关物种对由Nitrichoplusia ni幼虫引起的叶面损伤具有共同的代谢组学反应。结果表明，在这些物种的叶子中检测到的代谢组学差异是物种特异性的，甚至在T. ni草食动物。他们还表明，每种酸浆物种都表现出对昆虫食草的独特反应。该研究强调了酸浆属中存在的代谢物变异。以及在面对生物压力源时这种可变性的持续存在。此外，它开创了一个实验先例，可以从中鉴定出高度物种特异性的代谢物，然后用于植物育种计划，旨在提高酸浆和相关植物物种的抗虫性。