Abstract
The aim of this study is to determine the involvement of the flavonol-anthocyanin pathway on plant adaptation to biotic stress using the B.amyloliquefaciens QV15 to trigger blackberry metabolism and identify target genes to improve plant fitness and fruit quality. To achieve this goal, field-grown blackberries were root-inoculated with QV15 along its growth cycle. At fruiting, a transcriptomic analysis by RNA-Seq was performed on leaves and fruits of treated and non-treated field-grown blackberries after a sustained mildew outbreak; expression of the regulating and core genes of the Flavonol-Anthocyanin pathway were analysed by qPCR and metabolomic profiles by UHPLC/ESI-qTOF-MS; plant protection was found to be up to 88%. Overexpression of step-controlling genes in leaves and fruits, associated to lower concentration of flavonols and anthocyanins in QV15-treated plants, together with a higher protection suggest a phytoanticipin role for flavonols in blackberry; kempferol-3-O-rutinoside concentration was strikingly high. Overexpression of RuF3H (Flavonol-3-hidroxylase) suggests a pivotal role in the coordination of committing steps in this pathway, controlling carbon flux towards the different sinks. Furthermore, this C demand is supported by an activation of the photosynthetic machinery, and boosted by a coordinated control of ROS into a sub-lethal range, and associated to enhanced protection to biotic stress.
Highlights
The results presented in this study indicate that QV15 triggers plant metabolism, improving plant fitness, adaptation to biotic stress and stimulating the flavonol-anthocyanin pathway in blackberry
The responses triggered by this strain in the plant involves activation of gene expression related to photosynthesis and oxidative stress and related to specialized protective enzymes
The abundant transcripts related to photosynthesis found in leaves of QV15 treated plants reflect an active system for light reactions, an improvement in the efficiency of the photosynthetic electron transport chain, supported by overexpressed genes related to biosynthesis of photosynthetic pigments, mainly chlorophylls A and B
Summary
Loch Ness is a plant that belongs to a large group of plants with beneficial properties for human health known as berries. This group is characterized for the high amount of secondary metabolites (flavonoids among others) present in their fruits, and in leaves [1,2,3]; benefits for human health relay on flavonoids to a great extent [4,5]. Plants have successfully colonized all environments of our planet, thanks to their ability to develop a plant-specialized metabolism as a part of their evolutionary process, which enables. F3H plays a pivotal role on flavonoid metabolism in blackberry
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