Nitrogen Forms and Nitrogen Deficiency Regulate Theanine Accumulation Patterns in Tea Plants (<i>Camellia sinensis</i>) During Winter Dormancy

Nitrogen Forms and Nitrogen Deficiency Regulate Theanine Accumulation Patterns in Tea Plants (<i>Camellia sinensis</i>) During Winter Dormancy

Theanine, a unique non-protein amino acid, is specifically accumulated in tea plants during winter. This study explored the theanine accumulation patterns in ‘Longjing 43’ and ‘Huangjinya’ under different N supply conditions and analyzed the expression of genes involved in theanine biosynthesis duri...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yi Chen, Jingwen Li, Ni Yang, Zhihang Hu, Wei Luo, Chen Chen, Yuhua Wang, Xuan Chen, Xinghui Li, Jing Zhuang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Horticulturae
Subjects:
theanine
winter theanine accumulation
nitrogen
gene expression profiling
<i>Camellia sinensis</i>
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/4/444
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Summary:Theanine, a unique non-protein amino acid, is specifically accumulated in tea plants during winter. This study explored the theanine accumulation patterns in ‘Longjing 43’ and ‘Huangjinya’ under different N supply conditions and analyzed the expression of genes involved in theanine biosynthesis during winter dormancy. We found that the two tea plant cultivars shared similar theanine accumulation patterns in winter. After 30 d of cultivation with various N forms and N deficiency, the theanine content in the tissues of both cultivars was highest in the control group, followed by NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> treatment. Furthermore, we noted that root growth of tea plants was inhibited to varying degrees under different N sources and N-deficient conditions. Gene expression analysis revealed that both N forms can induce the transcription of key genes, including <i>CsADC</i>, <i>CsALT</i>, <i>CsCuAO</i>, <i>CsGDH2</i>, <i>CsPAO</i>, <i>CsNiR</i>, <i>CsNR</i>, and <i>CsTS1</i> in ‘Longjing 43’ and ‘Huangjinya’. The expression of these genes was strongly correlated with theanine levels under the N treatments. The winter theanine accumulation was finely tuned by the interplay of multiple related genes, with expression levels varying across different cultivars and tissues.
ISSN:2311-7524

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