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. 2024 Jan 29;14(2):160.
doi: 10.3390/biom14020160.

Proteomic and Metabolomic Analysis of the Quercus ilex-Phytophthora cinnamomi Pathosystem Reveals a Population-Specific Response, Independent of Co-Occurrence of Drought

Tamara Hernández-Lao  1 , Marta Tienda-Parrilla  1 , Mónica Labella-Ortega  1 , Victor M Guerrero-Sánchez  1 , María-Dolores Rey  1 , Jesús V Jorrín-Novo  1 , María Ángeles Castillejo-Sánchez  1
Affiliations

Proteomic and Metabolomic Analysis of the Quercus ilex-Phytophthora cinnamomi Pathosystem Reveals a Population-Specific Response, Independent of Co-Occurrence of Drought

Tamara Hernández-Lao et al. Biomolecules. .

Abstract

Holm oak (Quercus ilex) is considered to be one of the major structural elements of Mediterranean forests and the agrosilvopastoral Spanish "dehesa", making it an outstanding example of ecological and socioeconomic sustainability in forest ecosystems. The exotic Phytophthora cinnamomi is one of the most aggressive pathogens of woody species and, together with drought, is considered to be one of the main drivers of holm oak decline. The effect of and response to P. cinnamomi inoculation were studied in the offspring of mother trees from two Andalusian populations, Cordoba and Huelva. At the two locations, acorns collected from both symptomatic (damaged) and asymptomatic (apparently healthy) trees were sampled. Damage symptoms, mortality, and chlorophyll fluorescence were evaluated in seedlings inoculated under humid and drought conditions. The effect and response depended on the population and were more apparent in Huelva than in Cordoba. An integrated proteomic and metabolomic analysis revealed the involvement of different metabolic pathways in response to the pathogen in both populations, including amino acid metabolism pathways in Huelva, and terpenoid and flavonoid biosynthesis in Cordoba. However, no differential response was observed between seedlings inoculated under humid and drought conditions. A protective mechanism of the photosynthetic apparatus was activated in response to defective photosynthetic activity in inoculated plants, which seemed to be more efficient in the Cordoba population. In addition, enzymes and metabolites of the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways may have conferred higher resistance in the Cordoba population. Some enzymes are proposed as markers of resilience, among which glyoxalase I, glutathione reductase, thioredoxin reductase, and cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase are candidates.

Keywords: Quercus ilex; climate change; decline syndrome; markers of resilience; metabolomics; proteomics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a,b) Percentage of seedling mortality and (c,d) measurements of quantum yield of photosystem II (Qy) in dark-adapted leaves from Cordoba (a,c) and Huelva (b,d) populations during drought (D), P. cinnamomi inoculation (I), and combined (D × I) stress with respect to control (C) seedlings from asymptomatic (A) and symptomatic (S) Q. ilex mother trees. Values represent mean ± SE of three biological replicates. Different letters, calculated from the area under the Qy curve, denote significant differences among treatments (p < 0.05).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Principal component analysis of proteins consistently identified in seedlings from asymptomatic (a) Cordoba and (b) Huelva mother trees under different treatments: control, drought, inoculation, and combined stress.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Variable proteins significantly up-accumulated in seedlings from asymptomatic (a) Cordoba and (b) Huelva mother trees under different treatments: control (C), drought (D), inoculation (I), and combined stress (D × I). (c) Comparative analysis of both populations in response to different stresses. (d) Variable metabolites significantly up-accumulated under combined stress.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Heat map showing differential patterns of functional groups of protein in response to P. cinnamomi with (I) and without (D × I) watering, and in control (C) group. Co (Cordoba) and Hu (Huelva) populations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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