Ornithine decarboxylase regulates putrescine-related metabolism and pollen development in Atropa belladonna

Tengfei Zhao; Junlan Zeng; Mei Yang; Fei Qiu; Yueli Tang; Lingjiang Zeng; Chunxian Yang; Ping He; Xiaozhong Lan; Min Chen; Zhihua Liao; Fangyuan Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.09.030

Ornithine decarboxylase regulates putrescine-related metabolism and pollen development in Atropa belladonna

Plant Physiol Biochem. 2022 Dec 1:192:110-119. doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.09.030. Epub 2022 Sep 30.

Authors

Tengfei Zhao¹, Junlan Zeng¹, Mei Yang¹, Fei Qiu¹, Yueli Tang¹, Lingjiang Zeng¹, Chunxian Yang¹, Ping He², Xiaozhong Lan³, Min Chen⁴, Zhihua Liao⁵, Fangyuan Zhang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City & Southwest University, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
² Chongqing Academy of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 401123, China.
³ The Provincial and Ministerial Co-founded Collaborative Innovation Center for R & D in Tibet Characteristic Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Resources, The Center for Xizang Chinese (Tibetan) Medicine Resource, Tibet Agriculture and Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi of Tibet, 860000, China.
⁴ Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City & Southwest University, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City & Southwest University, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Chongqing Academy of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 401123, China. Electronic address: zhliao@swu.edu.cn.
⁶ Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City & Southwest University, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China. Electronic address: fyzhang@swu.edu.cn.

PMID: 36219994
DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.09.030

Abstract

Polyamines, including putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, play critical roles in cell physiology by different forms. As a rate-limiting enzyme that converts ornithine to putrescine, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, EC 1.1.1.37) has been studied in detail in animals and microorganisms, but its specific functions are poorly understood in plants. In this study, the metabolic and developmental roles of the ODC gene were studied through RNAi-mediated suppression of the ODC gene (AbODC) in A. belladonna. Suppression of AbODC reduced the production of precursors of medicinal tropane alkaloids, including putrescine and N-methylputrescine, as well as hyoscyamine and scopolamine. In AbODC-RNAi roots, the production of putrescine and spermidine in free form was reduced, but in the AbODC-RNAi leaves, the content of free polyamines was not altered. In the roots/leaves of AbODC-RNAi plants, the production of conjugated and bound polyamines was reduced. In addition, suppression of the ODC gene resulted in reduction of polyamines and pollen sterility in AbODC-RNAi flowers. In floral organs, GUS-staining results indicated that AbODC was domainantly expressed in pollen. In summary, ornithine decarboxylase not only plays a key role in regulating the biosynthesis of diverse forms of polyamines and medicinal tropane alkaloids, but also participates in pollen development.

Keywords: Atropa belladonna; Metabolism; Ornithine decarboxylase; Pollen development; Polyamines; Tropane alkaloids.