Integrative Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Analyses Reveal Metabolic Changes and Its Molecular Basis in Rice Mutants of the Strigolactone Pathway.

Plants have evolved many metabolites to meet the demands of growth and adaptation. Although strigolactones (SLs) play vital roles in controlling plant architecture, their function in regulating plant metabolism remains elusive. Here we report the integrative metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses of two rice SL mutants, (a biosynthesis mutant) and (a perception mutant). Both mutants displayed a series of metabolic and transcriptional alterations, especially in the lipid, flavonoid, and terpenoid pathways. Levels of several diterpenoid phytoalexins were substantially increased in and , together with the induction of terpenoid gene cluster and the corresponding upstream transcription factor , an established determinant of plant immunity. The fact that is a target of , which acted as a downstream transcription factor of SL signaling, suggests that SLs contribute to plant defense through and phytoalexins. Moreover, our data indicated that SLs may modulate rice metabolism through a vast number of clustered or tandemly duplicated genes. Our work revealed a central role of SLs in rice metabolism. Meanwhile, integrative analysis of the metabolome and transcriptome also suggested that SLs may contribute to metabolite-associated growth and defense.