Characterization of metabolic profiling of sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

PELUFFO L.; LIA V.V.; PANIEGO N.; HOPP H.E.; FERNIE A.; CARRARI F.; HEINZ R.

Temuco, Chile

Workshop; I Workshop del Centro de Genómica Nutricional Agroacuícola (CGNA); 2008

CGNA

Characterization of metabolic profiling of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) genotypes by GC-MS in response to a fungal pathogen infection. Lucila PELUFFO1, Veronica LIA1, Norma PANIEGO1, H. Esteban HOPP1, Alisdair FERNIE2, Fernando CARRARI1  ,Ruth HEINZ1. 1Instituto de Biotecnologia, CNIA, INTA Castelar, Buenos Aires, Argentina. rheinz@cnia.inta.gov.ar 2Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg, Potsdam-Golm, Germany. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L) is the third most important source of edible vegetable oil and is additionally anticipated to become an efficient source of biodiesel. Sunflower seeds are an important source of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants in human food and animal feed. Especially important is the metabolic composition of the sub-products obtained after oil extraction for the pellet industry which is required to remain highly digestible and to contain adequate fiber contents. Pathogen infections not only represent one of the main constrains on productivity but also have an important impact on quality components of harvestable plant products. Metabolic profiling of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) genotypes showing contrasting behavior against the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum were characterized. By applying a GC-MS-based metabolite profiling approach we were able to identify a total of 63 metabolites including major and minor sugars and sugar alcohols, organic acids, amino acids, fatty acids and few soluble secondary metabolites in the main target pathogen-infected tissue. In addition to comparing differences in metabolite content between the two genotypes we have assessed the influence of S.  sclerotiorum during the first stages after infection. Both metabolic differences between non-inoculated resistant and susceptible sunflower genotypes as well as concerted differential patterns of changes between host-pathogen interaction were confirmed to play an important role in determining resistance to this pathogen. The application of GC-MS to the characterization of metabolic profiles represents an important tool for biotechnological approaches that could complement concerted transcriptional and proteomic studies in complex biological systems.