Combined Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analysis Reveals the Role of Phenylpropanoid Biosynthesis Pathway in the Salt Tolerance Process of <i>Sophora alopecuroides</i>

• Main Authors: Youcheng Zhu, Qingyu Wang, Ying Wang, Yang Xu, Jingwen Li, Shihui Zhao, Doudou Wang, Zhipeng Ma, Fan Yan, Yajing Liu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-02-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: Sophora alopecuroides; salt stress; transcriptome; metabolome; phenylpropanoid biosynthesis; lignin
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/5/2399
• ISSN: 1661-6596; 1422-0067

<b> </b>Salt stress is the main abiotic stress that limits crop yield and agricultural development. Therefore, it is imperative to study the effects of salt stress on plants and the mechanisms through which plants respond to salt stress. In this study, we used transcriptomics and metabolomics to explore the effects of salt stress on <i>Sophora alopecuroides</i>. We found that salt stress incurred significant gene expression and metabolite changes at 0, 4, 24, 48, and 72 h. The integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis revealed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differential metabolites (DMs) obtained in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway were significantly correlated under salt stress. Of these, 28 DEGs and seven DMs were involved in lignin synthesis and 23 DEGs and seven DMs were involved in flavonoid synthesis. Under salt stress, the expression of genes and metabolites related to lignin and flavonoid synthesis changed significantly. Lignin and flavonoids may participate in the removal of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the root tissue of <i>S. alopecuroides</i> and reduced the damage caused under salt stress. Our research provides new ideas and genetic resources to study the mechanism of plant responses to salt stress and further improve the salt tolerance of plants.