Flavonoid synthesis in Lamiophlomis rotata from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is influenced by soil properties, microbial community, and gene expression

Feng Qiao; Yueheng Lu; Guigong Geng; Lianyu Zhou; Zhenning Chen; Luhao Wang; Huichun Xie; Quan-Sheng Qiu

doi:10.1016/j.jplph.2023.154043

Flavonoid synthesis in Lamiophlomis rotata from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is influenced by soil properties, microbial community, and gene expression

J Plant Physiol. 2023 Aug:287:154043. doi: 10.1016/j.jplph.2023.154043. Epub 2023 Jun 20.

Authors

Feng Qiao¹, Yueheng Lu², Guigong Geng³, Lianyu Zhou¹, Zhenning Chen⁴, Luhao Wang², Huichun Xie⁵, Quan-Sheng Qiu⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, 810008, China; Academy of Plateau Science and Sustainability, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, 810008, China; Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Medicinal Plant and Animal Resources, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, 810008, China; Qinghai Ecosystem Observation and Research Station in the Southern Qilian Mountains, Haidong, 810500, China.
² School of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, 810008, China.
³ Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Qinghai University, Xining, 810016, China; Qinghai Ecosystem Observation and Research Station in the Southern Qilian Mountains, Haidong, 810500, China.
⁴ School of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, 810008, China; Academy of Plateau Science and Sustainability, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, 810008, China; Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Medicinal Plant and Animal Resources, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, 810008, China.
⁵ School of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, 810008, China; Academy of Plateau Science and Sustainability, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, 810008, China; Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Medicinal Plant and Animal Resources, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, 810008, China; Qinghai Ecosystem Observation and Research Station in the Southern Qilian Mountains, Haidong, 810500, China. Electronic address: yezino.1@163.com.
⁶ School of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, 810008, China; Academy of Plateau Science and Sustainability, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, 810008, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China; College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, 524088, China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China. Electronic address: qiuqsh@lzu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37392527
DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2023.154043

Abstract

Lamiophlomis rotata is a medicinal plant in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, in which flavonoid compounds are the major medicinal components. However, it remains unclear how flavonoid metabolism of L. rotata is influenced by soil properties and microbial community. In this study, we collected L. rotata seedlings and rhizosphere soils from five habitats ranging from 3750 to 4270 m of altitude and analyzed the effects of habitat conditions on flavonoid metabolism. The activities of peroxidase, cellulase, and urease were increased with altitude, while those of alkaline phosphatase, alkaline protease, and sucrase were decreased with altitude. Analysis of OTUs showed that the total number of bacterial genera was higher than that of fungal genera. The highest number of fungal genera was 132, and that of bacterial genera was 33 in Batang (BT) town in Yushu County at an altitude of 3880 m, suggesting that the fungal communities may play a critical role in L. rotata rhizosphere soils. Flavonoids in leaves and roots of L. rotata shared a similar pattern, with a trend of increasing levels with altitude. The highest flavonoid content measured, 12.94 mg/g in leaves and 11.43 mg/g in roots, was from Zaduo (ZD) County at an altitude of 4208 m. Soil peroxidases affected quercetin content in leaves of L. rotata, while the fungus Sebacina affected flavonoid content in leaves and roots of L. rotata. The expression of PAL, F3'H, FLS, and FNS genes showed a declining trend in leaves with altitude, while F3H showed an increasing trend in both leaves and roots. Overall, soil physicochemical properties and microbial community affect flavonoid metabolism in L. rotata in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The variations in flavonoid content and gene expression as well as their associations with soil factors revealed the complexity of the growth conditions and genetic makeup in L. rotata habitats of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Keywords: Flavonoids; Gene expression; Lamiophlomis rotata; Qinghai-Tibet Plateau; Soil microbial community; Soil physicochemical properties.

MeSH terms

Flavonoids
Gene Expression
Microbiota*
Soil Microbiology
Soil*
Tibet

Substances

Soil
Flavonoids