Transcriptome and metabolome analyses revealed the response mechanism of apple to different phosphorus stresses

Phosphorus (P) is an important element in numerous metabolic reactions and signalling pathways, but the molecular details of these pathways remain largely unknown. In this study, physiological, transcriptome and metabolite analyses of apple leaves and roots were compared under different P conditions. The results showed that different P stresses influenced phenotypic characteristics, soil plant analytical development (SPAD) values and the contents of flavonoids and anthocyanins in apple seedlings. The contents of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), acid phosphatase (ACP) and purple acid phosphatase (PAP) were also affected by different P stresses. In addition, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to characterize the influence of different P stresses on apple seedlings. Compared with control apple plants, there were 1246 and 1183 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in leaves and roots under the low-P treatment and 60 and 1030 DEGs in leaves and roots under the high-P treatment, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis indicated that apple trees might change their responses to metabolic processes, cell proliferation, regulation of biological processes, reactive oxygen species metabolic processes and flavonoid metabolic processes under P stress. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis further indicated that DEGs act on the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway, flavonoid biosynthesis, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters. The metabolome analysis revealed that the levels of most amino acids and their derivatives, organic acids and flavonoids in roots treated with low-P stress were higher than those in roots of apple seedlings under control growth conditions. Apple seedlings regulate the flavonoid pathway to respond to different phosphorus environments. The results provide a framework for understanding the metabolic processes underlying different P responses and provide a foundation for improving the utilization efficiency of P in apple trees.