Yu Mingzhai, Luobu Zhaxi, Zhuoga Deqing, Wei Xiaohong, Tang Yawei
College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Xizang Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Lhasa, China.
BMC Genomics. 2025 Jul 1;26(1):618. doi: 10.1186/s12864-025-11516-x.
Barley, as an important grain crop, often suffers from low-temperature stress during growth and development, which constitutes a significant impact on the yield and quality of barley. Therefore, an in-depth study of the metabolic response of barley under low-temperature stress is of great significance to improve the cold tolerance of barley. In this study, metabolites in barley leaves under different times of low-temperature stress were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), together with physiological data analysis. Result: Low-temperature stress decreased Pn, Gs, Tr, and SPAD in barley leaves, leading to an increase in ROS content, and a total of 800 metabolites were identified by metabolome analysis, belonging to amino acids and their derivatives, phenolic acids, nucleotides, and their derivatives, flavonoids, coumarins, alkaloids, organic acids, and free fatty acids. A total of 92, 91, 40, and 101 significantly different metabolites were identified at 0 h-vs-12 h, 0 h-vs-48 h, 12 h-vs-48 h, and 0 h-vs-Re24h, which were mainly involved in metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, ABCs and other metabolites. These differential metabolites were mainly involved in Metabolic pathways, Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, ABC transporters, Biosynthesis of amino acids, Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, Tryptophan metabolism, Flavonoid biosynthesis, Glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, Histidine metabolism, and Linoleic acid metabolism. Among them, the main up-regulated metabolites under low-temperature stress were 4-Hydroxyacetophenone, O-Acetylserine, Sinapoylagmatine, and Sinapoylputrescine, and the main down-regulated metabolites were Catechin gallate, D-Melezitose and Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, and the pathways with the highest enrichment of differential metabolites were Glycine, serine and threonine metabolism and Linoleic acid metabolism. Conclusion: Through the comprehensive analysis of physiological and metabolomic data, we initially revealed the metabolic network of barley under low-temperature stress and identified the key metabolites and metabolic pathways related to cold resistance. This study not only provides a new perspective on the molecular mechanism of cold resistance in barley but also provides an important theoretical basis for breeding barley for cold resistance. In the future, we will continue to study the regulatory mechanisms of these key metabolites and metabolic pathways, to produce new barley varieties with stronger cold resistance through genetic engineering and molecular breeding.
大麦作为一种重要的粮食作物，在生长发育过程中经常遭受低温胁迫，这对大麦的产量和品质构成了重大影响。因此，深入研究低温胁迫下大麦的代谢响应对于提高大麦的耐寒性具有重要意义。在本研究中，采用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法（UPLC-MS/MS）分析了不同低温胁迫时间下大麦叶片中的代谢物，并结合生理数据分析。结果：低温胁迫降低了大麦叶片的净光合速率（Pn）、气孔导度（Gs）、蒸腾速率（Tr）和叶绿素含量（SPAD），导致活性氧（ROS）含量增加，代谢组分析共鉴定出800种代谢物，属于氨基酸及其衍生物、酚酸、核苷酸及其衍生物、黄酮类、香豆素、生物碱、有机酸和游离脂肪酸。在0 h与12 h、0 h与48 h、12 h与48 h以及0 h与恢复24 h时分别鉴定出92、91、40和101种显著差异的代谢物，它们主要参与代谢途径、次生代谢物的生物合成、ABC转运蛋白及其他代谢物。这些差异代谢物主要参与代谢途径、次生代谢物的生物合成、ABC转运蛋白、氨基酸的生物合成、苯丙烷类生物合成、色氨酸代谢、黄酮类生物合成、甘氨酸、丝氨酸和苏氨酸代谢、组氨酸代谢以及亚油酸代谢。其中，低温胁迫下主要上调的代谢物有4-羟基苯乙酮、O-乙酰丝氨酸、芥子酰胍丁胺和芥子酰腐胺，主要下调的代谢物有没食子酸儿茶素、D-松三糖和表没食子儿茶素-3-没食子酸酯，差异代谢物富集程度最高的途径是甘氨酸、丝氨酸和苏氨酸代谢以及亚油酸代谢。结论：通过对生理和代谢组数据的综合分析，我们初步揭示了低温胁迫下大麦的代谢网络，并鉴定出了与抗寒相关的关键代谢物和代谢途径。本研究不仅为大麦抗寒分子机制提供了新的视角，也为大麦抗寒育种提供了重要的理论依据。未来，我们将继续研究这些关键代谢物和代谢途径的调控机制，通过基因工程和分子育种培育出抗寒性更强的大麦新品种。
