Abstract
Tea plants (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) can hyperaccumulate fluoride (F−) without any toxic symptom, especially in mature leaves. However, the molecular mechanism of absorption and hyperaccumulation of F− was poorly understood in C. sinensis. Here, a transcriptomic analysis was performed to compare the responses to fluoride stress of tea leaves to understand F− accumulation and its influence on gene expression in C. sinensis leaves. The results indicated that numerous differentially expressed genes involved in ion absorption and transport exist in the process of F− absorption in C. sinensis leaves. The up-regulated expression of genes associated with uptake and transport of Ca2+ and K+ (CNGC, TPC1, CAX, and VHA) increased the intracellular and vacuole cation concentration during F− accumulation in C. sinensis leaves. We also found that some of AQP (PIPs and TIPs) genes may promote F− into the intracellular spaces and vacuoles in C. sinensis leaves, respectively. In addition, F− induced the expression of differential genes related to plant hormone metabolism and signaling pathways (ABA, auxin, and GA). Subsequently, a lot of transcription factors (WRKY, MYB, NAC, bHLH and AP2/ERF) were activated to respond to F− stress in tea leaves by regulating plant hormone signal transduction and other pathways. And ubiquitin systems were involved in the regulation of proteins homeostasis under F− stress indicating that they are responsible for the response of C. sinensis leaves to F−. Overall, these findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the F− absorption mechanism and its influence on gene expression in tea leaves.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31972458), the earmarked fund for Jiangsu Agricultural Industry Technology System (JATS[2020]405) and the earmarked fund for China Agriculture Research System (CARS-19).
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Pan, J., Xing, A., Zhu, J. et al. Gene expression analysis in leaf of Camellia sinensis reveals the response to fluoride. Acta Physiol Plant 43, 111 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-021-03283-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-021-03283-5