Integrated Transcriptomic, Metabolomic, and Physiological Analyses Reveal New Insights into Fragrance Formation in the Heartwood of <i>Phoebe hui</i>

Hanbo Yang; Wenna An; Fang Wang; Yunjie Gu; Hongying Guo; Yongze Jiang; Jian Peng; Minhao Liu; Lianghua Chen; Fan Zhang; Peng Zhu; Xiong Huang; Xueqin Wan

doi:10.3390/ijms232214044

International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Nov 2022)

Integrated Transcriptomic, Metabolomic, and Physiological Analyses Reveal New Insights into Fragrance Formation in the Heartwood of <i>Phoebe hui</i>

Hanbo Yang,
Wenna An,
Fang Wang,
Yunjie Gu,
Hongying Guo,
Yongze Jiang,
Jian Peng,
Minhao Liu,
Lianghua Chen,
Fan Zhang,
Peng Zhu,
Xiong Huang,
Xueqin Wan

Affiliations

Hanbo Yang: Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resource Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, Rainy Area of West China Plantation Ecosystem Permanent Scientific Research Base, Institute of Ecology and Forestry, Chengdu 611130, China
Wenna An: Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resource Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, Rainy Area of West China Plantation Ecosystem Permanent Scientific Research Base, Institute of Ecology and Forestry, Chengdu 611130, China
Fang Wang: Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resource Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, Rainy Area of West China Plantation Ecosystem Permanent Scientific Research Base, Institute of Ecology and Forestry, Chengdu 611130, China
Yunjie Gu: Sichuan Key Laboratory of Ecological Restoration and Conservation for Forest and Wetland, Sichuan Academy of Forestry, Chengdu 610081, China
Hongying Guo: Sichuan Academy of Grassland Sciences, Chengdu 611731, China
Yongze Jiang: Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resource Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, Rainy Area of West China Plantation Ecosystem Permanent Scientific Research Base, Institute of Ecology and Forestry, Chengdu 611130, China
Jian Peng: Sichuan Key Laboratory of Ecological Restoration and Conservation for Forest and Wetland, Sichuan Academy of Forestry, Chengdu 610081, China
Minhao Liu: Sichuan Key Laboratory of Ecological Restoration and Conservation for Forest and Wetland, Sichuan Academy of Forestry, Chengdu 610081, China
Lianghua Chen: Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resource Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, Rainy Area of West China Plantation Ecosystem Permanent Scientific Research Base, Institute of Ecology and Forestry, Chengdu 611130, China
Fan Zhang: Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resource Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, Rainy Area of West China Plantation Ecosystem Permanent Scientific Research Base, Institute of Ecology and Forestry, Chengdu 611130, China
Peng Zhu: Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resource Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, Rainy Area of West China Plantation Ecosystem Permanent Scientific Research Base, Institute of Ecology and Forestry, Chengdu 611130, China
Xiong Huang: Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resource Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, Rainy Area of West China Plantation Ecosystem Permanent Scientific Research Base, Institute of Ecology and Forestry, Chengdu 611130, China
Xueqin Wan: Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resource Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, Rainy Area of West China Plantation Ecosystem Permanent Scientific Research Base, Institute of Ecology and Forestry, Chengdu 611130, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232214044
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 23, no. 22
p. 14044

Abstract

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Phoebe hui is an extremely valuable tree that is the main source of the fragrant golden-thread nanmu wood. Although the fragrance of wood has been investigated in several trees, the potential substances and gene regulation mechanisms that are involved in fragrance formation are poorly understood. Here, three radial tissues, sapwood (SW), heartwood (HW), and the transition zone (TZ) in between them, were compared via integrative physiological, volatile-metabolomic, and transcriptomic analyses to identify the key metabolites and regulatory mechanisms involved in fragrance formation. During heartwood formation, gradual starch grain loss was accompanied by the deposition of lipids and extractives in the cell lumen. Extracts of terpenoids were synthesized and accumulated in the heartwood, including monoterpenoids (limonene and p-cymene) and sesquiterpenes (cubebene and guaiadiene); these were identified as being closely related to the special fragrance of the wood. Additionally, the expression of transcripts showed that the genes related to primary metabolism were specifically upregulated in the SW, whereas genes annotated in terpenoid biosynthesis were specifically upregulated in the HW. Therefore, we speculated that terpenoid biosynthesis occurs in situ in the HW via the HW formation model of Type-III (Santalum) using the precursors that were produced by primary metabolism in the SW. The expression levels of transcription factors (e.g., MYB, WRKY, and C2H2) acted as the major regulatory factors in the synthesis of terpenoids. Our results explain the special fragrance in P. hui and broaden the current knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms of fragrance formation. This work provides a framework for future research that is focused on improving wood quality and value.

Published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences

ISSN: 1661-6596 (Print); 1422-0067 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General); Science: Chemistry
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms

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