Integrated Analysis of the Transcriptome and Metabolome of Cecropia obtusifolia: A Plant with High Chlorogenic Acid Content Traditionally Used to Treat Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

This investigation cultured Cecropia obtusifolia cells in suspension to evaluate the effect of nitrate deficiency on the growth and production of chlorogenic acid (CGA), a secondary metabolite with hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activity that acts directly on type 2 diabetes mellitus. Using cell cultures in suspension, a kinetics time course was established with six time points and four total nitrate concentrations. The metabolites of interest were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the metabolome was analyzed using directed and nondirected approaches. Finally, using RNA-seq methodology, the first transcript collection for C. obtusifolia was generated. HPLC analysis detected CGA at all sampling points, while metabolomic analysis confirmed the identity of CGA and of precursors involved in its biosynthesis. Transcriptome analysis identified differentially expressed genes and enzymes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of CGA. C. obtusifolia probably expresses a key enzyme with bifunctional activity, the hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA quinate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase and hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA shikimate/quinate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (HQT/HCT), which recognizes shikimic acid or quinic acid as a substrate and incorporates either into one of the two routes responsible for CGA biosynthesis.

Integrated transcriptome, small RNA and degradome sequencing approaches proffer insights into chlorogenic acid biosynthesis in leafy sweet potato

“…We investigated two well-characterized genotypes at two stages for their different CGA accumulation ( Fig 2A–2C ). Although a few genes involved in CGA biosynthesis had been reported in other plant species, such as tomato [ 21 , 22 ], Arabidopsis [ 23 , 24 ], Nicotiana tabacum [ 27 ], Lonicera japonica [ 50 , 51 ], Sunflower [ 52 ], Dandelions [ 53 , 54 ], Cecropia obtusifolia [ 55 ], the molecular mechanisms underlying in leafy sweet potato remains largely unknown. In the present study, a total of 29834 genes were identified based on the reference guided transcriptome analysis of two genotypes at two stages.…”

Defining key metabolic roles in osmotic adjustment and ROS homeostasis in the recretohalophyte Karelinia caspia under salt stress

“…However, HCT2 has also been associated with CGA biosynthesis in Cecropia obtusifolia and Populus . In the latter, HCT2 is involved in the defense response via the WRKY transcriptional regulatory pathway (Cadena‐Zamudio et al, 2020; Zhang et al, 2018). Based on these observations, we suggest that HQT or HCT is a key enzyme that may recognize an acyl acceptor, quinic acid or shikimic acid to determine CGA biosynthesis in salt‐treated K. caspia (Figure 7).…”

Combined transcriptome and metabolome analysis of strawberry fruits in response to powdery mildew infection

“…Currently, integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis are effective ways to explore the relationship between genes and metabolites (Cadena‐Zamudio et al., 2020; Peng et al., 2020). For example, transcriptome and metabolome assayed from 580 tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) lines revealed genomic loci associated with hundreds of transcripts and metabolites, thus establishing a framework for metabolism and pathogen resistance during tomato fruit ripening and providing insights into essential fruit quality traits (Szymanski et al., 2020).…”