Effects of exogenous melatonin on drought stress in celery (Apium graveolens L.): unraveling the modulation of chlorophyll and glucose metabolism pathways

Abstract Drought, a prevalent abiotic stressor, significantly impacts plant yield and quality. Melatonin (MT), a potent and economical growth regulator, plays a pivotal role in augmenting crop resilience against stress. This study investigated the efficacy of exogenous MT on drought-stressed celery...

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Main Authors: Jiageng Du, Weilong Li, Zhuo Wang, Zhiheng Chen, Chao Wang, Wei Lu, Aisheng Xiong, Guofei Tan, Yangxia Zheng, Mengyao Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2024-11-01
Series:BMC Genomics
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-024-11054-y
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author Jiageng Du
Weilong Li
Zhuo Wang
Zhiheng Chen
Chao Wang
Wei Lu
Aisheng Xiong
Guofei Tan
Yangxia Zheng
Mengyao Li
author_facet Jiageng Du
Weilong Li
Zhuo Wang
Zhiheng Chen
Chao Wang
Wei Lu
Aisheng Xiong
Guofei Tan
Yangxia Zheng
Mengyao Li
author_sort Jiageng Du
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Drought, a prevalent abiotic stressor, significantly impacts plant yield and quality. Melatonin (MT), a potent and economical growth regulator, plays a pivotal role in augmenting crop resilience against stress. This study investigated the efficacy of exogenous MT on drought-stressed celery seedlings by comprehensively analyzing phenotypic, physiological, and molecular attributes. The results revealed that exogenous MT mitigated celery seedling damage under drought stress, lowered malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations, elevated oxidase activities, osmolyte levels, chlorophyll content, and augmented light energy conversion efficiency. Transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that MT could regulate chlorophyll synthesis genes (AgPORA1 and AgDVR2), contributing to heightened photosynthetic potential and increased drought tolerance in celery. Moreover, MT was found to modulate glycolytic pathways, upregulate pyruvate synthesis genes (AgPEP1 and AgPK3), and downregulate degradation genes (AgPDC2 and AgPDHA2), thereby promoting pyruvate accumulation and enhancing peroxidase activity and drought tolerance. The RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analyses demonstrated similar results, showing the same general expression trends. The study elucidates the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying MT’s stress-alleviating effects in celery seedlings, offering insights into MT-based strategies in plant cultivation and breeding for arid environments.
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spelling doaj-art-a68edbcfe22f4ce7a6a10bbb233cc1162025-08-20T02:32:53ZengBMCBMC Genomics1471-21642024-11-0125111510.1186/s12864-024-11054-yEffects of exogenous melatonin on drought stress in celery (Apium graveolens L.): unraveling the modulation of chlorophyll and glucose metabolism pathwaysJiageng Du0Weilong Li1Zhuo Wang2Zhiheng Chen3Chao Wang4Wei Lu5Aisheng Xiong6Guofei Tan7Yangxia Zheng8Mengyao Li9College of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural UniversityCollege of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural UniversityCollege of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural UniversityCollege of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural UniversityCollege of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural UniversityCollege of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural UniversityCollege of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural UniversityInstitute of Horticulture, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural SciencesCollege of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural UniversityCollege of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural UniversityAbstract Drought, a prevalent abiotic stressor, significantly impacts plant yield and quality. Melatonin (MT), a potent and economical growth regulator, plays a pivotal role in augmenting crop resilience against stress. This study investigated the efficacy of exogenous MT on drought-stressed celery seedlings by comprehensively analyzing phenotypic, physiological, and molecular attributes. The results revealed that exogenous MT mitigated celery seedling damage under drought stress, lowered malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations, elevated oxidase activities, osmolyte levels, chlorophyll content, and augmented light energy conversion efficiency. Transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that MT could regulate chlorophyll synthesis genes (AgPORA1 and AgDVR2), contributing to heightened photosynthetic potential and increased drought tolerance in celery. Moreover, MT was found to modulate glycolytic pathways, upregulate pyruvate synthesis genes (AgPEP1 and AgPK3), and downregulate degradation genes (AgPDC2 and AgPDHA2), thereby promoting pyruvate accumulation and enhancing peroxidase activity and drought tolerance. The RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analyses demonstrated similar results, showing the same general expression trends. The study elucidates the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying MT’s stress-alleviating effects in celery seedlings, offering insights into MT-based strategies in plant cultivation and breeding for arid environments.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-024-11054-yCeleryChlorophyll metabolismDroughtGlycolysisMelatonin
spellingShingle Jiageng Du
Weilong Li
Zhuo Wang
Zhiheng Chen
Chao Wang
Wei Lu
Aisheng Xiong
Guofei Tan
Yangxia Zheng
Mengyao Li
Effects of exogenous melatonin on drought stress in celery (Apium graveolens L.): unraveling the modulation of chlorophyll and glucose metabolism pathways
BMC Genomics
Celery
Chlorophyll metabolism
Drought
Glycolysis
Melatonin
title Effects of exogenous melatonin on drought stress in celery (Apium graveolens L.): unraveling the modulation of chlorophyll and glucose metabolism pathways
title_full Effects of exogenous melatonin on drought stress in celery (Apium graveolens L.): unraveling the modulation of chlorophyll and glucose metabolism pathways
title_fullStr Effects of exogenous melatonin on drought stress in celery (Apium graveolens L.): unraveling the modulation of chlorophyll and glucose metabolism pathways
title_full_unstemmed Effects of exogenous melatonin on drought stress in celery (Apium graveolens L.): unraveling the modulation of chlorophyll and glucose metabolism pathways
title_short Effects of exogenous melatonin on drought stress in celery (Apium graveolens L.): unraveling the modulation of chlorophyll and glucose metabolism pathways
title_sort effects of exogenous melatonin on drought stress in celery apium graveolens l unraveling the modulation of chlorophyll and glucose metabolism pathways
topic Celery
Chlorophyll metabolism
Drought
Glycolysis
Melatonin
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-024-11054-y
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