Abstract
Thymus is one of the best known genera within the Labiatae (Lamiaceae) family, with more than 200 species and many medicinal and culinary uses. The effects of prolonged drought on lipid profile were investigated in tolerant and sensitive thyme plants (Thymus serpyllum L. and Thymus vulgaris L., respectively). Non-targeted non-polar metabolite profiling was carried out using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry with one-month-old plants exposed to drought stress, and their morpho-physiological parameters were also evaluated. Tolerant and sensitive plants exhibited clearly different responses at a physiological level. In addition, different trends for a number of non-polar metabolites were observed when comparing stressed and control samples, for both sensitive and tolerant plants. Sensitive plants showed the highest decrease (55%) in main lipid components such as galactolipids and phospholipids. In tolerant plants, the level of lipids involved in signaling increased, while intensities of those induced by stress (e.g., oxylipins) dramatically decreased (50–60%), in particular with respect to metabolites with m/z values of 519.3331, 521.3488, and 581.3709. Partial least square discriminant analysis separated all the samples into four groups: tolerant watered, tolerant stressed, sensitive watered and sensitive stressed. The combination of lipid profiling and physiological parameters represented a promising tool for investigating the mechanisms of plant response to drought stress at non-polar metabolome level.
Highlights
In their environment, plants are often exposed to a plethora of biotic and abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, nutritional deficiencies, heavy metals, and pollutants, as well as pathogen and insect attacks [1,2,3]
We recently investigated the response of Thymus spp. populations to drought stress [26]
The main aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the lipidome changes in thyme plants under severe drought stress, and to elucidate mechanisms involved in plant adaptation and tolerance to water deficiency
Summary
Plants are often exposed to a plethora of biotic and abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, nutritional deficiencies, heavy metals, and pollutants, as well as pathogen and insect attacks [1,2,3]. These factors reduce crop yield and cause global economic losses [4]. Water is involved in a number of pivotal physiological functions, such as plant growth and photosynthesis, and water deficiency results in a severe and often lethal stress in plant cells. Drought stress may largely impact crop yield and quality and, food security [9,10]
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