Guo Yuqi, Liu Chang, Zhang Yaran, Zheng Shuting, Cao Ping, Wang Xiaomin, Tian Zengyuan
School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2024 Jan 4;14:1295779. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1295779. eCollection 2023.
Weeds present a significant challenge to high crop yield and quality. In our study, we investigated the phytotoxic activity of β-caryophyllene (BCP) and eugenol, which are natural allelopathic chemical compounds, on Arabidopsis seedlings. We found that these compounds inhibited the growth of plants. When either BCP or eugenol was applied, it led to decrease in the content of cell wall components such as lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin; and increase in the levels of endogenous hormones like ETH, ABA, SA, and JA in the seedlings. Through transcriptome profiling, we identified 7181 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the roots and shoots that were induced by BCP or eugenol. The genes involved in the synthesis of lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin were down-regulated, whereas genes related to synthesis and signal transduction of ABA, ETH, SA, and JA were up-regulated. However, genes related to IAA synthesis and signal transduction were found to be down-regulated. Furthermore, we characterized 24 hub genes using Weighted Correlation Network Analysis (WGCNA). Among them, the identified 16 genes in response to BCP was primarily associated with hypoxia stress, while 8 genes induced by eugenol were linked to inhibition of cell division. Our results suggested that BCP and eugenol had ability to target multiple genes to inhibit growth and development of Arabidopsis plants. Therefore, they can serve as excellent candidates for natural biological herbicides.
杂草对作物的高产和优质构成了重大挑战。在我们的研究中，我们调查了天然化感化合物β-石竹烯（BCP）和丁香酚对拟南芥幼苗的植物毒性活性。我们发现这些化合物抑制了植物的生长。当施用BCP或丁香酚时，会导致细胞壁成分如木质素、纤维素、半纤维素和果胶的含量降低；以及幼苗中内源激素如乙烯（ETH）、脱落酸（ABA）、水杨酸（SA）和茉莉酸（JA）水平的升高。通过转录组分析，我们在根和芽中鉴定出7181个由BCP或丁香酚诱导的差异表达基因（DEG）。参与木质素、纤维素、半纤维素和果胶合成的基因被下调，而与ABA、ETH、SA和JA合成及信号转导相关的基因被上调。然而，发现与生长素（IAA）合成和信号转导相关的基因被下调。此外，我们使用加权基因共表达网络分析（WGCNA）鉴定了24个枢纽基因。其中，鉴定出的16个响应BCP的基因主要与缺氧胁迫相关，而8个由丁香酚诱导的基因与细胞分裂抑制有关。我们的结果表明，BCP和丁香酚能够靶向多个基因来抑制拟南芥植物的生长和发育。因此，它们可作为天然生物除草剂的优秀候选物。
