Comparative physiological and metabolomics analysis of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) following post-anthesis heat stress

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 13; no. 6; p. e0197919
• Main Authors: Thomason, Kayla, Babar, Md Ali, Erickson, John E, Mulvaney, Michael, Beecher, Chris, MacDonald, Greg
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 13-06-2018; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Agronomy; Amino acids; Arabidopsis; Bioindicators; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomarkers; Biosynthesis; Climate change; Corn; Correlation; Cultivars; Damage accumulation; Drought; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Flowers - growth & development; Genetic aspects; Genetic diversity; Genetic improvement; Genetic variability; Genotypes; Growth; Heat; Heat stress; Heat tolerance; Heat treatment; Heat-Shock Response; High temperature; Leaves; Metabolism; Metabolites; Metabolomics; Nitric oxide; Phenotypes; Physical Sciences; Physiology; Plant hardiness; Plant metabolites; Properties; Temperature effects; Triticum - growth & development; Triticum - metabolism; Triticum - physiology; Triticum aestivum; tRNA; Tryptophan; Wheat; United States > US
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197919

Genetic improvement for stress tolerance requires a solid understanding of biochemical processes involved with different physiological mechanisms and their relationships with different traits. The objective of this study was to demonstrate genetic variability in altered metabolic levels in a panel of six wheat genotypes in contrasting temperature regimes, and to quantify the correlation between those metabolites with different traits. In a controlled environment experiment, heat stress (35:28 ± 0.08°C) was initiated 10 days after anthesis. Flag leaves were collected 10 days after heat treatment to employ an untargeted metabolomics profiling using LC-HRMS based technique called IROA. High temperature stress produced significant genetic variations for cell and thylakoid membrane damage, and yield related traits. 64 known metabolites accumulated 1.5 fold of higher or lower due to high temperature stress. In general, metabolites that increased the most under heat stress (L-tryptophan, pipecolate) showed negative correlation with different traits. Contrary, the metabolites that decreased the most under heat stress (drummondol, anthranilate) showed positive correlation with the traits. Aminoacyl-tRNA biosysnthesis and plant secondary metabolite biosynthesis pathways were most impacted by high temperature stress. The robustness of metabolic change and their relationship with phenotypes renders those metabolites as potential bio-markers for genetic improvement.