Multi-Omics Analysis Provides Crucial Insights into the Drought Adaptation of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch

Abstract

Drought adaptation of plants is closely related to resistance and tolerance to drought stress as well as the ability to recover after the elimination of the stress. Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch is a commonly applied herb whose growth and development are greatly affected by drought. Here, we provide the first comprehensive analysis of the transcriptomic, epigenetic, and metabolic responses of G. uralensis to drought stress and rewatering. The hyper-/hypomethylation of genes may lead to up-/downregulated gene expression, and epigenetic changes can be regarded as an important regulatory mechanism of G. uralensis under drought stress and rewatering. Moreover, integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis revealed that genes and metabolites involved in pathways of antioxidation, osmoregulation, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and flavonoid biosynthesis may regulate the drought adaptation of G. uralensis. This work provides crucial insights into the drought adaptation of G. uralensis and offers epigenetic resources for cultivating G. uralensis with high drought adaptation.

Multi-Omics Elucidates Difference in Accumulation of Bioactive Constituents in Licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) under Drought Stress

“…It is generally believed that many secondary metabolites of traditional Chinese medicine, i.e., active components, accumulate more under abiotic stress [9][10][11]. In addition, licorice species are capable of tolerating drought conditions [12,13] and, correspondingly, drought stress is also an important factor to promote the biochemical composition of licorice by regulating the synthesis genes [14].…”