Integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis revealed that BrSPDS-1 enhances the heat tolerance of Chinese...

With the aggravation of global warming, heat stress has become one of the major abiotic stresses that seriously threaten the quality and yield of crops. As an important economic vegetable crop, elucidating the response mechanism of Chinese cabbage to heat stress is crucial for improving its yield and breeding heat-resistant varieties. This study presents an integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis of Chinese cabbage under heat stress, demonstrating that the polyamine biosynthesis pathway is crucial for its stress response. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis further screened out 42 hub genes. Additionally, we elucidated the role of the key enzyme gene BrSPDS-1 within the polyamine biosynthesis pathway during the plant's response to heat stress. The silencing of BrSPDS-1 in Chinese cabbage reduced its antioxidant capacity and increased the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), whereas the overexpression of BrSPDS-1 in Chinese cabbage enhanced its heat tolerance by alleviating membrane damage and the accumulation of ROS. To sum up, our research revealed the key pathways and genes in the heat stress response of Chinese cabbage, providing valuable genetic resources for elucidating the mechanism of heat stress response in Chinese cabbage.