Integrating transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis to understand natural leaf senescence in sunflower?

MOSCHEN, S.; DI RIENZO J.A,; TOHGE, T.; WATANABE, T.; HOLLMAN, J.; GONZALEZ, S.; RIVAROLA, M.; GARCIA, F.; HOPP, E. H.; DOPAZO, J.; HOEFGEN, R.; PANIEGO N.; FERNANDEZ , P.; HEINZ, R.A.

PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2015

1467-7644

Summary Leaf senescence is a complex mechanism that has strong impact on crop yield. In sunflower, the senescence process has an economic impact involved in the gap between potential and real yield observed due to the incapacity of plants to maintain their green leaf area over longer periods. The aim of this work was to characterize the leaf senescence process in sunflower through a systems biology approach integrating transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses, performed under both greenhouse and field conditions. Our results revealed a correspondence between profile changes detected at the molecular, biochemical and physiological level across the progression of leaf senescence measured at different plant developmental stages. Early metabolic changes were detected prior to anthesis and before the onset of the first senescence symptoms, with more pronounced changes observed when physiological and molecular variables were assessed under field conditions. During leaf development photosynthetic activity and cell growth processes decreased, while sucrose, fatty acid, nucleotide and amino acid metabolism as well as those pathways related to nutrient recycling processes showed an up-regulation. Members of the NAC, AP2-EREBP, HB, bZIP and MYB transcription factor families showed high expression levels and high levels of correlation marking them as important candidate genes in the execution of the senescence program in sunflower. The results of this work contribute to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved at the onset and progression of leaf senescence in sunflower leaves as well as to the identification of robust candidate genes playing key roles at different developmental stages of the process.