Integrated Transcriptomics and Metabolomics with Machine Learning Identify Flavonoids as Key Effectors in Wheat Root...

Area of Science:

• Plant Biology
• Molecular Biology
• Agricultural Science

Background:

• Root plasticity is essential for crop survival in a warming climate.
• Understanding wheat root thermotolerance mechanisms is critical for food security.
• Current knowledge on molecular pathways governing heat adaptation in wheat roots is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying wheat root thermotolerance.
• To compare the responses of heat-tolerant and heat-sensitive wheat cultivars to heat stress.
• To identify key molecular players and pathways involved in wheat root heat adaptation.

Main Methods:

• Integrated phenomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics analyses.
• Application of machine learning algorithms, including weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and random forest.
• Protein-protein interaction network analysis.

Main Results:

• Heat-tolerant cultivar YM158 maintained root architecture and redox balance under heat stress (35 °C), unlike the sensitive cultivar YM15.
• The flavonoid biosynthesis pathway was identified as central to thermotolerance.
• Protein homeostasis, endoplasmic reticulum protein processing, and enhanced antioxidant systems are crucial for heat adaptation.
• A regulatory hub involving FERONIA (FER) and heat shock factors (HSFs) was identified.

Conclusions:

• The flavonoid-mediated antioxidant system is a promising target for breeding climate-resilient wheat.
• Wheat root heat adaptation involves complex interactions between hormonal signaling, secondary metabolism, and protein homeostasis.
• This study provides a comprehensive map of root heat adaptation mechanisms in wheat.