Metabolomic Profiling Reveals PGPR-Driven Drought Tolerance in Contrasting <i>Brassica juncea</i> Genotypes
Background: Drought stress is a major abiotic factor limiting <i>Brassica juncea</i> productivity, resulting in significant yield reductions. Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) have shown potential in enhancing drought tolerance; however, the metabolomic changes associated with...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Asha Rani Sheoran Nita Lakra Baljeet Singh Saharan Annu Luhach Yogesh K. Ahlawat Rosa Porcel Jose M. Mulet Prabhakar Singh |
| author_facet | Asha Rani Sheoran Nita Lakra Baljeet Singh Saharan Annu Luhach Yogesh K. Ahlawat Rosa Porcel Jose M. Mulet Prabhakar Singh |
| author_sort | Asha Rani Sheoran |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Drought stress is a major abiotic factor limiting <i>Brassica juncea</i> productivity, resulting in significant yield reductions. Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) have shown potential in enhancing drought tolerance; however, the metabolomic changes associated with their effects remain largely unexplored. This study examines the metabolic changes induced by a PGPR consortium (<i>Enterobacter hormaechei</i>, <i>Pantoea dispersa</i>, and <i>Acinetobacter</i> sp.) in two contrasting genotypes <i>B. juncea</i> (L.) Czern. ‘RH 725’ (drought tolerant) and <i>B. juncea</i> (L.) Czern. ‘RH-749’ (drought sensitive for drought tolerance, under both control and drought conditions. Methods: Metabolite profiling was conducted using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify compounds that accumulated differentially across treatments. We applied multivariate statistical methods, such as Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA), hierarchical clustering, and pathway enrichment analysis, to explore metabolic reprogramming. Results: Drought stress induced significant changes in metabolite profile, particularly increasing the levels of osmoprotectants such as trehalose, glucose, sucrose, proline, and valine. Additionally, alterations in organic acids (malic acid and citric acid) and fatty acids (oleic acid and linoleic acid) were observed. PGPR inoculation further amplified these metabolic responses to enhance the osmotic regulation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) detoxification, and carbon-nitrogen metabolism, with RH-725 displaying a stronger adaptive response. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that PGPR treatment significantly influenced metabolic pathways related to starch and sucrose metabolism, galactose metabolism, and amino acid biosynthesis, which play critical roles in drought adaptation. Conclusion: These findings provide insights into how PGPR contributes to stress resilience in <i>B. juncea</i> by modulating key biochemical pathways. This study provides new molecular insights into the known effect of PGPR for mitigating drought stress in oilseed crops. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b52d8cbc4183432dbca43b02a80d4690 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2218-1989 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-b52d8cbc4183432dbca43b02a80d46902025-08-20T03:27:31ZengMDPI AGMetabolites2218-19892025-06-0115641610.3390/metabo15060416Metabolomic Profiling Reveals PGPR-Driven Drought Tolerance in Contrasting <i>Brassica juncea</i> GenotypesAsha Rani Sheoran0Nita Lakra1Baljeet Singh Saharan2Annu Luhach3Yogesh K. Ahlawat4Rosa Porcel5Jose M. Mulet6Prabhakar Singh7Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, IndiaDepartment of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, IndiaDepartment of Microbiology, College of Basic Sciences & Humanities, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, IndiaDepartment of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar 125004, IndiaDepartment of Biotechnology, University Centre for Research and Development, Chandigarh University, Mohali 140413, IndiaInstituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP), Universitat Politècnica de València-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Avd. de los Naranjos s/n, 46022 Valencia, SpainInstituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP), Universitat Politècnica de València-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Avd. de los Naranjos s/n, 46022 Valencia, SpainDepartment of Biotechnology, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai 600119, IndiaBackground: Drought stress is a major abiotic factor limiting <i>Brassica juncea</i> productivity, resulting in significant yield reductions. Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) have shown potential in enhancing drought tolerance; however, the metabolomic changes associated with their effects remain largely unexplored. This study examines the metabolic changes induced by a PGPR consortium (<i>Enterobacter hormaechei</i>, <i>Pantoea dispersa</i>, and <i>Acinetobacter</i> sp.) in two contrasting genotypes <i>B. juncea</i> (L.) Czern. ‘RH 725’ (drought tolerant) and <i>B. juncea</i> (L.) Czern. ‘RH-749’ (drought sensitive for drought tolerance, under both control and drought conditions. Methods: Metabolite profiling was conducted using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify compounds that accumulated differentially across treatments. We applied multivariate statistical methods, such as Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA), hierarchical clustering, and pathway enrichment analysis, to explore metabolic reprogramming. Results: Drought stress induced significant changes in metabolite profile, particularly increasing the levels of osmoprotectants such as trehalose, glucose, sucrose, proline, and valine. Additionally, alterations in organic acids (malic acid and citric acid) and fatty acids (oleic acid and linoleic acid) were observed. PGPR inoculation further amplified these metabolic responses to enhance the osmotic regulation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) detoxification, and carbon-nitrogen metabolism, with RH-725 displaying a stronger adaptive response. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that PGPR treatment significantly influenced metabolic pathways related to starch and sucrose metabolism, galactose metabolism, and amino acid biosynthesis, which play critical roles in drought adaptation. Conclusion: These findings provide insights into how PGPR contributes to stress resilience in <i>B. juncea</i> by modulating key biochemical pathways. This study provides new molecular insights into the known effect of PGPR for mitigating drought stress in oilseed crops.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/15/6/416PGPRIndian mustarddrought stressprimary metabolismkrebs cyclefatty acids |
| spellingShingle | Asha Rani Sheoran Nita Lakra Baljeet Singh Saharan Annu Luhach Yogesh K. Ahlawat Rosa Porcel Jose M. Mulet Prabhakar Singh Metabolomic Profiling Reveals PGPR-Driven Drought Tolerance in Contrasting <i>Brassica juncea</i> Genotypes Metabolites PGPR Indian mustard drought stress primary metabolism krebs cycle fatty acids |
| title | Metabolomic Profiling Reveals PGPR-Driven Drought Tolerance in Contrasting <i>Brassica juncea</i> Genotypes |
| title_full | Metabolomic Profiling Reveals PGPR-Driven Drought Tolerance in Contrasting <i>Brassica juncea</i> Genotypes |
| title_fullStr | Metabolomic Profiling Reveals PGPR-Driven Drought Tolerance in Contrasting <i>Brassica juncea</i> Genotypes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Metabolomic Profiling Reveals PGPR-Driven Drought Tolerance in Contrasting <i>Brassica juncea</i> Genotypes |
| title_short | Metabolomic Profiling Reveals PGPR-Driven Drought Tolerance in Contrasting <i>Brassica juncea</i> Genotypes |
| title_sort | metabolomic profiling reveals pgpr driven drought tolerance in contrasting i brassica juncea i genotypes |
| topic | PGPR Indian mustard drought stress primary metabolism krebs cycle fatty acids |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/15/6/416 |
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