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Exogenous melatonin improves drought stress tolerance via regulating tryptophan metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways in wheat.

Physiologia plantarum
May 5, 2024
Jingyu Li et al. (7 authors)
Journal ArticleAnimal Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to investigate how melatonin (MT) treatment enhances drought resistance in wheat by modulating tryptophan metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways.

Results Summary

MT treatment improved drought resistance in wheat by reducing malondialdehyde levels and increasing antioxidant enzyme activity. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed activation of tryptophan metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways, with key metabolites and transcription factors identified.

Population

Wheat plants (Triticum aestivum)

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (6)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
MT treatment
increase
drought resistance
wheat
-
markedly enhanced
#1
MT treatment
decrease
malondialdehyde (MDA) levels
wheat
-
diminishing
#2
MT treatment
increase
activity of antioxidant enzymes POD, APX, and CAT
wheat
-
augmenting
#3
melatonin treatment
increase
tryptophan metabolism pathway
-
-
activated
#4
melatonin treatment
increase
flavonoid biosynthesis pathway
-
-
activated
#5
exogenous MT application
increase
wheat's drought tolerance
wheat
-
bolsters
#6
Abstract

Melatonin (MT) serves an indispensable function in plant development and their response to abiotic stress. Although numerous drought-tolerance genes have been ascertained in wheat, further investigation into the molecular pathways controlling drought stress tolerance remains necessary. In this investigation, it was observed that MT treatment markedly enhanced drought resistance in wheat by diminishing malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and augmenting the activity of antioxidant enzymes POD, APX, and CAT compared to untreated control plants. Transcriptomic analysis disclosed that melatonin treatment activated the tryptophan metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways. Furthermore, quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) outcomes validated that the expression trends of these differentially expressed genes aligned with the transcriptomic data. Metabolomic profiling identified alterations in the abundance of several metabolites, including tryptamine, MT, formylanthranilate, 3-hydroxyanthranilate, 6-hydroxymelatonin, naringenin chalcone, astragalin, pinbanksin, and caffeoyl quinic acid. Co-expression analysis suggested that various transcription factors-encompassing AP2/ERF-ERF, WRKY, bZIP, C2H2, bHLH, NAC, and MYB-participated in controlling the differentially expressed genes across multiple pathways. Ultimately, these findings highlight that exogenous MT application bolsters wheat's drought tolerance through the modulation of tryptophan metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis. These insights provide novel perspectives on the molecular frameworks mediating MT's effect on drought resistance and pinpointing candidate genes for potential genetic enhancement programs in wheat.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
MelatoninTriticumTryptophanFlavonoidsDroughtsGene Expression Regulation, PlantStress, PhysiologicalPlant ProteinsMalondialdehydeAntioxidants
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality78/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations1
Citations/Year1.0
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.05
Weight Score1.92
Normalized Score0.70
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