Li Haiyan, Zhou Chunxu, Cheng Jiayuan, Wang Han, Zhang Xidan, Yu Yingjie, Jiang Lili
College of Life Sciences, Jilin Normal University, Siping, 136000, China.
Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of MOE, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China.
Plant Cell Rep. 2025 Jun 19;44(7):148. doi: 10.1007/s00299-025-03536-4.
Simulated animal feeding alters endogenous phytohormone levels and gene expression within related metabolic pathways, thereby regulating the growth, development, and defense mechanisms of Leymus chinensis. Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. is a vital forage species in grassland animal husbandry, serving as the primary food source for grazing herbivores. Unraveling the mechanisms underlying herbage responses to grazing enhances our understanding of plant-animal interactions and their coevolution. In this study, we simulated grazing by applying animal saliva to L. chinensis post-clipping and conducted transcriptomic and phytohormonal analyses. Our findings revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) responding to clipping but reverting to control levels after saliva treatment were enriched in a limited number of metabolic pathways. In contrast, DEGs specifically responsive to animal saliva were significantly enriched in numerous pathways related to plant growth, development, and defense. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) validated the expression patterns of representative DEGs, confirming the reliability of the transcriptome-based analyses. Five classes of DEGs were annotated in the plant hormone signal transduction pathway, including Auxin (IAA), Abscisic acid (ABA), Salicylic acid (SA), Cytokinin (CTK), and Jasmonic acid (JA). Phytohormone quantification revealed significant changes in hormone levels upon saliva treatment, peaking at 6 h post-treatment, which may account for the surge in DEGs observed at this time point. These results deepen our understanding of how animal saliva influences the growth and defense of L. chinensis and may inform more effective grassland management practices.
模拟动物啃食会改变内源植物激素水平以及相关代谢途径中的基因表达，从而调节羊草的生长、发育和防御机制。羊草（Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel.）是草地畜牧业中的重要牧草物种，是食草动物的主要食物来源。揭示牧草对啃食反应的潜在机制有助于我们更好地理解植物与动物的相互作用及其协同进化。在本研究中，我们通过在羊草刈割后涂抹动物唾液来模拟啃食，并进行了转录组和植物激素分析。我们的研究结果表明，对刈割有反应但在唾液处理后恢复到对照水平的差异表达基因（DEG）在有限的代谢途径中富集。相比之下，对动物唾液有特异性反应的DEG在与植物生长、发育和防御相关的众多途径中显著富集。定量实时PCR（qRT-PCR）验证了代表性DEG的表达模式，证实了基于转录组分析的可靠性。在植物激素信号转导途径中注释了五类DEG，包括生长素（IAA）、脱落酸（ABA）、水杨酸（SA）、细胞分裂素（CTK）和茉莉酸（JA）。植物激素定量分析显示，唾液处理后激素水平发生了显著变化，在处理后6小时达到峰值，这可能解释了在该时间点观察到的DEG激增。这些结果加深了我们对动物唾液如何影响羊草生长和防御的理解，并可能为更有效的草地管理实践提供参考。
