High-energy-level metabolism and transport occur at the transition from closed to open flowers

Monica Borghi, Leonardo Perez de Souza, Takayuki Tohge, Jianing Mi, Giovanni Melandri, Sebastian Proost, Marina C M Martins, Salim Al-Babili, Harro J Bouwmeester, Alisdair R Fernie

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

During the maturation phase of flower development, the onset of anthesis visibly marks the transition from buds to open flowers, during which petals stretch out, nectar secretion commences, and pollination occurs. Analysis of the metabolic changes occurring during this developmental transition has primarily focused on specific classes of metabolites, such as pigments and scent emission, and far less on the whole network of primary and secondary metabolites. To investigate the metabolic changes occurring at anthesis, we performed multi-platform metabolomics alongside RNA sequencing in individual florets harvested from the main inflorescence of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) ecotype Col-0. To trace metabolic fluxes at the level of the whole inflorescence and individual florets, we further integrated these studies with radiolabeled experiments. These extensive analyses revealed high-energy-level metabolism and transport of carbohydrates and amino acids, supporting intense metabolic rearrangements occurring at the time of this floral transition. These comprehensive data are discussed in the context of our current understanding of the metabolic shifts underlying flower opening. We envision that this analysis will facilitate the introgression of floral metabolic traits promoting pollination in crop species for which a comprehensive knowledge of flower metabolism is still limited.
Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalPlant physiology
DOIs
StatePublished - May 28 2022

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2022-06-02
Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship (MSCA-IF 2014) Grant no. 656918 to MB. We thank Bioscience, WUR, Wageningen, The Netherlands for their support with RNA library preparation and sequencing, and Bejo Seeds and Rijk Zwaan for their financial contribution towards RNAseq.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Plant Science
  • Genetics
  • Physiology

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