DOI: 10.1007/s11738-017-2412-y
Metabolomics offers opportunities for studying the systematic response of an organism to a genetic and/or an environmental change. Here, the metabolic consequences of drought stress were characterized in the highly drought tolerant plant Caragana korshinskii. The time-of-flight mass spectrometry platform employed identified several hundred metabolites in extracts of the leaf, stem, root collar, and root of plants which had been either subjected to drought stress or were well-watered. Each of the four organs harbored a number of potential metabolite markers for the drought response. An increased abundance of various small carbohydrates and soluble amino acids in each of the four organs was induced by the stress; these compounds may act as compatible solutes or antioxidants. Across the whole plant, there was a fall in the content of several Krebs cycle and glycolysis intermediates, as well as in that of the amino acids glutamic acid and aspartic acid. Pathway analysis suggested that most of the potential metabolite markers were involved in energy metabolism and amino-acid metabolism. The implication was that energy metabolism and photosynthesis are compromised during the adaptation of C. korshinskii to drought stress. Given the different spectrum of metabolites associated with the drought response in the four organs, it was concluded that each organ employs a distinct strategy to cope with drought stress.
Communicated by H. Peng.
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