Wang Wenli, Zhou Xiaogui, Hu Qiang, Wang Qiuhong, Zhou Yanjun, Yu Jingbo, Ge Shibei, Zhang Lan, Guo Huawei, Tang Meijun, Li Xin
Key Laboratory of Tea Quality and Safety Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China.
Plants (Basel). 2025 Jan 17;14(2):260. doi: 10.3390/plants14020260.
(Shen) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) is a devastating insect pest species of , significantly affecting the yield and quality of tea. Due to growing concerns over the irrational use of insecticides and associated food safety, it is crucial to better understand the innate resistance mechanism of tea trees to . This study aims to explore the responses of tea trees to different levels of infestation. We first focused on the primary metabolism and found that the amino acid levels decreased significantly with increasing infestation, while sugar accumulation showed an opposite trend. Moreover, secondary metabolite analysis showed a significant increase in flavonoid compounds and lignin content after infestation. Metabolomics analysis of the flavonoid compounds revealed a decrease in the proanthocyanidin level and an increase in anthocyanidin glycosides (anthocyanins and their derivatives) after infestation. infestation also caused a decrease in the abundance of non-ester catechins and an increase in the abundance of ester catechins. Furthermore, the gene expression analysis revealed that transcripts of genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, such as , , , , , and , were down-regulated, while genes involved in the lignin pathway were up-regulated by insect infestation, suggesting that lignin probably plays a pivotal role in tea plant response to infestation. Analysis of the expression of related genes indicates that the jasmonate (JA) pathway primarily responds to leafhopper damage. These findings suggest that the lignin pathway and JA play a preferential role in tea plant response to . Furthermore, the production of saccharides and the accumulation of anthocyanin glycosides in the flavonoid metabolic pathway are critical during this stress response. Further exploration of the roles of anthocyanin glycosides and lignin in tea tree resistance could provide a theoretical basis for understanding the defense mechanism of tea trees against damage.
叶蝉（半翅目：叶蝉科）是茶树的一种毁灭性害虫，严重影响茶叶的产量和品质。由于人们越来越关注杀虫剂的不合理使用及相关食品安全问题，更好地了解茶树对叶蝉的固有抗性机制至关重要。本研究旨在探究茶树对不同程度叶蝉侵害的反应。我们首先关注初级代谢，发现随着叶蝉侵害程度的增加，氨基酸水平显著下降，而糖类积累呈现相反趋势。此外，次生代谢物分析表明，叶蝉侵害后黄酮类化合物和木质素含量显著增加。对黄酮类化合物的代谢组学分析显示，叶蝉侵害后原花青素水平下降，花色苷糖苷（花青素及其衍生物）增加。叶蝉侵害还导致非酯型儿茶素含量降低，酯型儿茶素含量增加。此外，基因表达分析表明，参与黄酮类生物合成的基因转录本，如……等，被下调，而参与木质素途径的基因在昆虫侵害后被上调，这表明木质素可能在茶树对叶蝉侵害的反应中起关键作用。相关基因表达分析表明，茉莉酸（JA）途径主要对叶蝉危害作出反应。这些发现表明，木质素途径和JA在茶树对叶蝉的反应中起优先作用。此外，糖类的产生以及黄酮类代谢途径中花色苷糖苷的积累在这种应激反应中至关重要。进一步探究花色苷糖苷和木质素在茶树抗性中的作用，可为理解茶树抵御叶蝉危害的防御机制提供理论依据。
