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Molecular and Physiological Regulation of Secondary Metabolism in Vegetables
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Molecular and Physiological Regulation of Secondary Metabolism in Vegetables

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Physiology and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 11512

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Bo Sun

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Interests: brassica vegetables; Chinese kale; mustard; carotenoids; glucosinolate; antioxidants; nutritional quality; postharvest
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Huiying Miao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: brassica vegetables; postharvest quality; glucosinolates; regulation; plant hormones
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Vegetables are closely related to human daily life. They not only decorate food with their colorful appearance but also guarantee the health of the people with their comprehensive and rich nutrition, especially bioactive compounds from secondary metabolism. Vegetables contain a variety of secondary metabolites, including carotenoids, flavonoids, glucosinolates, anthocyanins, and so on. These secondary metabolites are widely involved in growth and development, resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses, quality characteristics and formation, and other physiological processes of vegetable crops. Likewise, they can be influenced by intrinsic genetic factors and extrinsic environmental factors, as well as postharvest handlings. In model plants, great progress has been made in understanding the biosynthesis, degradation, and regulation of secondary metabolites, but there are still lots of gaps in vegetable crops. Today, the genomic sequence of more and more vegetable crops has been released, facilitating the elucidation of regulatory mechanisms of secondary metabolites in vegetable crops together with other technologies, such as omics (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, etc.), gene editing technologies (ZFNs, TALENs, CRISPR, etc.), and bioinformatics. Therefore, in this Special Issue, articles (original research papers, perspectives, hypotheses, opinions, reviews, and methods) that focus on the regulatory mechanism of secondary metabolism and their role in vegetable growth and development, as well as responses to environmental stresses, quality characteristics and changes at transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and epigenetic levels, are most welcome.

Prof. Dr. Bo Sun
Dr. Huiying Miao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • secondary metabolites
  • biosynthesis, degradation, and regulation
  • growth and development
  • biotic and abiotic stress responses
  • quality characteristics
  • postharvest
  • gene function
  • omics studies
  • gene editing
  • bioinformatics

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

14 pages, 2986 KiB  
Article
Overexpression of Sly-miR398b Compromises Disease Resistance against Botrytis cinerea through Regulating ROS Homeostasis and JA-Related Defense Genes in Tomato
by Yuanyuan Liu, Yiren Yu, Shihong Fei, Yuxin Chen, Yunmin Xu, Zhujun Zhu and Yong He
Plants 2023, 12(13), 2572; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12132572 - 7 Jul 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1614
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be critical components in plant immunity. MicroRNA398 (miR398) is a highly conserved miRNA in all land plants and plays crucial roles in diverse biotic stress responses. However, the role of miR398 has not yet been characterized in [...] Read more.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be critical components in plant immunity. MicroRNA398 (miR398) is a highly conserved miRNA in all land plants and plays crucial roles in diverse biotic stress responses. However, the role of miR398 has not yet been characterized in tomato resistance against Botrytis cinerea. In this report, the transcript levels of sly-miR398b were strongly decreased in B. cinerea-infected leaves and the overexpression of sly-miR398b resulted in enhanced susceptibility. The attenuated expression of cytosol Cu/Zn-SOD (CSD1), chloroplast Cu/Zn-SOD (CSD2), and guaiacol peroxidase (GPOD), as well as the decreased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and GPOD, collectively led to increased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) accumulation in sly-miR398b overexpressing plants. Furthermore, sly-miR398b was induced by methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment. The overexpression of sly-miR398b suppressed the expression of TomLoxD, LapA, and PR-STH2 in response to B. cinerea and MeJA treatment. Our data demonstrate that sly-miR398b overexpression negatively regulates the resistance to B. cinerea in tomato by inducing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and downregulating the expression of MeJA-responsive defense genes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Physiological Regulation of Secondary Metabolism in Vegetables)
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15 pages, 5910 KiB  
Article
Increased Ammonium Enhances Suboptimal-Temperature Tolerance in Cucumber Seedlings
by Chao Ma, Tiantian Ban, Hongjun Yu, Qiang Li, Xiaohui Li, Weijie Jiang and Jianming Xie
Plants 2023, 12(12), 2243; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12122243 - 7 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1304
Abstract
Nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N) is widely used in the cultivation of the cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). In fact, in mixed nitrogen forms, partially substituting NO3−-N with NH4+-N can promote the absorption and utilization of [...] Read more.
Nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N) is widely used in the cultivation of the cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). In fact, in mixed nitrogen forms, partially substituting NO3−-N with NH4+-N can promote the absorption and utilization of nitrogen. However, is this still the case when the cucumber seedling is vulnerable to the suboptimal-temperature stress? It remains unclear as to how the uptake and metabolism of ammonium affect the suboptimal-temperature tolerance in cucumber seedlings. In this study, cucumber seedlings were grown under suboptimal temperatures at five ammonium ratios (0NH4+, 25%NH4+, 50%NH4+, 75%NH4+, 100%NH4+) for 14 days. Firstly, increasing ammonium to 50% promoted the growth and root activity and increased protein and proline contents but decreased MDA content in cucumber seedlings. This indicated that increasing ammonium to 50% enhanced the suboptimal-temperature tolerance of cucumber seedlings. Furthermore, increasing ammonium to 50% up-regulated the expression of the nitrogen uptake-transport genes CsNRT1.3, CsNRT1.5 and CsAMT1.1, which promoted the uptake and transport of nitrogen, as well as the up-regulation of the expression of the glutamate cycle genes CsGOGAT-1-2, CsGOGAT-2-1, CsGOGAT-2-2, CsGS-2 and CsGS-3, which promoted the metabolism of nitrogen. Meanwhile, increased ammonium up-regulated the expression of the PM H+-ATP genes CSHA2 and CSHA3 in roots, which maintained nitrogen transport and membranes at a suboptimal temperature. In addition, 13 of 16 genes detected in the study were preferentially expressed in the roots in the increasing ammonium treatments under suboptimal temperatures, which, thus, promoted nitrogen assimilation in roots to the enhance the suboptimal-temperature tolerance of cucumber seedlings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Physiological Regulation of Secondary Metabolism in Vegetables)
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16 pages, 2936 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of ESPs and NSPs Involved in Glucosinolate Hydrolysis and Insect Attack Defense in Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis)
by Danni Han, Jingru Tan, Zhichen Yue, Peng Tao, Juanli Lei, Yunxiang Zang, Qizan Hu, Huasen Wang, Shizhong Zhang, Biyuan Li and Yanting Zhao
Plants 2023, 12(5), 1123; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12051123 - 2 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1907
Abstract
Glucosinolates are secondary plant metabolites that are part of the plant’s defense system against pathogens and pests and are activated via enzymatic degradation by thioglucoside glucohydrolases (myrosinases). Epithiospecifier proteins (ESPs) and nitrile-specifier proteins (NSPs) divert the myrosinase-catalyzed hydrolysis of a given glucosinolate to [...] Read more.
Glucosinolates are secondary plant metabolites that are part of the plant’s defense system against pathogens and pests and are activated via enzymatic degradation by thioglucoside glucohydrolases (myrosinases). Epithiospecifier proteins (ESPs) and nitrile-specifier proteins (NSPs) divert the myrosinase-catalyzed hydrolysis of a given glucosinolate to form epithionitrile and nitrile rather than isothiocyanate. However, the associated gene families have not been explored in Chinese cabbage. We identified three ESP and fifteen NSP genes randomly distributed on six chromosomes in Chinese cabbage. Based on a phylogenetic tree, the ESP and NSP gene family members were divided into four clades and had similar gene structure and motif composition of Brassica rapa epithiospecifier proteins (BrESPs) and B. rapa nitrile-specifier proteins (BrNSPs) in the same clade. We identified seven tandem duplicated events and eight pairs of segmentally duplicated genes. Synteny analysis showed that Chinese cabbage and Arabidopsis thaliana are closely related. We detected the proportion of various glucosinolate hydrolysates in Chinese cabbage and verified the function of BrESPs and BrNSPs in glucosinolate hydrolysis. Furthermore, we used quantitative RT-PCR to analyze the expression of BrESPs and BrNSPs and demonstrated that these genes responded to insect attack. Our findings provide novel insights into BrESPs and BrNSPs that can help further promote the regulation of glucosinolate hydrolysates by ESP and NSP to resist insect attack in Chinese cabbage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Physiological Regulation of Secondary Metabolism in Vegetables)
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15 pages, 2057 KiB  
Article
Effect of the Number of Dark Days and Planting Density on the Health-Promoting Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Capacity of Mustard (Brassica juncea) Sprouts
by Zhiqing Li, Hongmei Di, Wenjuan Cheng, Guanru Ren, Yi Zhang, Jie Ma, Wei Ma, Jiao Yang, Huashan Lian, Xiaomei Li, Zhi Huang, Yi Tang, Yangxia Zheng, Huanxiu Li, Fen Zhang and Bo Sun
Plants 2022, 11(19), 2515; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11192515 - 26 Sep 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1616
Abstract
Mustard is an edible vegetable in the genus Brassica with tender and clean sprouts and short growth cycles that has become a rich source of nutrients required by humans. Here, the effects of dark exposure duration and planting density on the health-promoting phytochemicals [...] Read more.
Mustard is an edible vegetable in the genus Brassica with tender and clean sprouts and short growth cycles that has become a rich source of nutrients required by humans. Here, the effects of dark exposure duration and planting density on the health-promoting phytochemicals and the antioxidant capacity of mustard sprouts were evaluated. The content of soluble sugar, soluble protein, chlorophyll, and carotenoids and the antioxidant capacity of mustard were higher in the two-day dark treatment; the content of indolic glucosinolates was also more affected in the dark day experiment than in the planting density experiment. The soluble sugar, soluble protein, and aliphatic and total glucosinolate levels were higher when sprouts were grown at high densities (6–7 g per tray); however, no significant variation was observed in the content of chlorophyll and carotenoids and the antioxidant capacity. The results of this study show that the optimum cultivation regime for maximizing the concentrations of nutrients of mustard plants is a planting density of 6 g of seeds per tray and a two-day dark treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Physiological Regulation of Secondary Metabolism in Vegetables)
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14 pages, 3237 KiB  
Article
Variation in the Main Health-Promoting Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Different Edible Parts of Purple Flowering Stalks (Brassica campestris var. purpuraria) and Green Flowering Stalks (Brassica campestris var. campestris)
by Yating Wang, Hongmei Di, Wenjuan Cheng, Guanru Ren, Sha Luo, Jie Ma, Wei Ma, Huashan Lian, Xiaomei Li, Zhi Huang, Yi Tang, Yangxia Zheng, Huanxiu Li, Fen Zhang and Bo Sun
Plants 2022, 11(13), 1664; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11131664 - 23 Jun 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1852
Abstract
Purple flowering stalks and green flowering stalks of Brassica campestris are widely cultivated in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Here, concentrations of the main health-promoting compounds and antioxidant capacity levels were characterized in different parts (leaves, peel, flesh, and [...] Read more.
Purple flowering stalks and green flowering stalks of Brassica campestris are widely cultivated in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Here, concentrations of the main health-promoting compounds and antioxidant capacity levels were characterized in different parts (leaves, peel, flesh, and inflorescences) of purple and green flowering stalks. There were significant differences in the concentrations of health-promoting compounds between the two variants; the concentrations of pigments, especially anthocyanidins, and gluconapin, were significantly higher in purple flowering stalks than in green flowering stalks, and the progoitrin content was significantly higher in green flowering stalks than in purple flowering stalks. The leaves were judged to be the most nutritional edible part because they had the highest concentrations of pigments, ascorbic acid, proanthocyanidins, flavonoids, and total phenolics. Antioxidant capacity was also highest in the leaves, and it was positively correlated with the concentration of health-promoting compounds. Purple flowering stalks and green flowering stalks were found to be rich in health-promoting compounds, especially glucosinolates. Overall, our findings indicate that consumption of the leaves and peel would provide the most health benefits. Some suggestions are provided regarding the processing and utilization of these edible components. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Physiological Regulation of Secondary Metabolism in Vegetables)
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Review

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13 pages, 678 KiB  
Review
Serial-Omics and Molecular Function Study Provide Novel Insight into Cucumber Variety Improvement
by Danni Han, Xiaojun Ma, Lei Zhang, Shizhong Zhang, Qinghua Sun, Pan Li, Jing Shu and Yanting Zhao
Plants 2022, 11(12), 1609; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11121609 - 20 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2173
Abstract
Cucumbers are rich in vitamins and minerals. The cucumber has recently become one of China’s main vegetable crops. More specifically, the adjustment of the Chinese agricultural industry’s structure and rapid economic development have resulted in increases in the planting area allocated to Chinese [...] Read more.
Cucumbers are rich in vitamins and minerals. The cucumber has recently become one of China’s main vegetable crops. More specifically, the adjustment of the Chinese agricultural industry’s structure and rapid economic development have resulted in increases in the planting area allocated to Chinese cucumber varieties and in the number of Chinese cucumber varieties. After complete sequencing of the “Chinese long” genome, the transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome were obtained. Cucumber has a small genome and short growing cycle, and these traits are conducive to the application of molecular breeding techniques for improving fruit quality. Here, we review the developments and applications of molecular markers and genetic maps for cucumber breeding and introduce the functions of gene families from the perspective of genomics, including fruit development and quality, hormone response, resistance to abiotic stress, epitomizing the development of other omics, and relationships among functions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Physiological Regulation of Secondary Metabolism in Vegetables)
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