Browse Articles

Article|27 Jun 2024|OPEN
CsPHRs-CsJAZ3 incorporates phosphate signaling and jasmonate pathway to regulate catechin biosynthesis in Camellia sinensis
Linying Li1 , Xueying Zhang1 , Da Li2 , Hui Su3,4 , Yuqing He1 , Zelong Xu1 , Yao Zhao1 , Yiyi Hong1 , Qingsheng Li2 and Ping Xu3 , Gaojie Hong,1 ,
1State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Key Laboratory of Biotechnology in Plant Protection of MOA of China and Zhejiang Province, Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 198 Shiqiao Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou 310021, China
2Institute of Sericulture and Tea, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 198 Shiqiao Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou 310021, China
3Department of Tea Science, Zhejiang University, No. 886 Yuhangtang Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou 310058, China
4Department of Tea Science, College of Horticulture, Henan Agricultural University, No.15 Longzihu University Area, Zhengdong New District, Zhengzhou 450046, China
*Corresponding author. E-mail: honggj@zaas.ac.cn

Horticulture Research 11,
Article number: uhae178 (2024)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhae178
Views: 1219

Received: 18 Apr 2024
Accepted: 19 Jun 2024
Published online: 27 Jun 2024

Abstract

Catechins constitute abundant metabolites in tea and have potential health benefits and high economic value. Intensive study has shown that the biosynthesis of tea catechins is regulated by environmental factors and hormonal signals. However, little is known about the coordination of phosphate (Pi) signaling and the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway on biosynthesis of tea catechins. We found that Pi deficiency caused changes in the content of catechins and modulated the expression levels of genes involved in catechin biosynthesis. Herein, we identified two transcription factors of phosphate signaling in tea, named CsPHR1 and CsPHR2, respectively. Both regulated catechin biosynthesis by activating the transcription of CsANR1 and CsMYB5c. We further demonstrated CsSPX1, a Pi pathway repressor, suppressing the activation by CsPHR1/2 of CsANR1 and CsMYB5c. JA, one of the endogenous plant hormones, has been reported to be involved in the regulation of secondary metabolism. Our work demonstrated that the JA signaling repressor CsJAZ3 negatively regulated catechin biosynthesis via physical interaction with CsPHR1 and CsPHR2. Thus, the CsPHRs–CsJAZ3 module bridges the nutrition and hormone signals, contributing to targeted cultivation of high-quality tea cultivars with high fertilizer efficiency.