Metabolomic profiles exhibit the influence of endoplasmic reticulum stress on sorghum seedling growth over time.

Lima KRP, Cavalcante FLP, Paula-Marinho SO, Pereira IMC, Lopes LS, Nunes JVS, Coutinho ÍAC, Gomes-Filho E, Carvalho HH

Published: 14 December 2021 in Plant physiology and biochemistry : PPB
Keywords: Dithiothreitol, Gas chromatography, Mass spectrometry, Sorghum bicolor, Tunicamycin
Pubmed ID: 34902782
DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2021.11.041

Environmental stresses disturb the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein folding. However, primary metabolic responses induced by ER stress remain unclear. Thus, we investigated the morphophysiological and metabolomic changes under ER stress, induced by dithiothreitol (DTT) and tunicamycin (TM) treatments in sorghum seedlings from 24 to 96 h. The ER stress caused lipid peroxidation and increased the expression of SbBiP1, SbPDI, and SbIRE1. The development impairment was more pronounced in roots than in shoots as distinct metabolomic profiles were observed. DTT decreased root length, lateral roots, and root hair, while TM decreased mainly the root length. At 24 h, under ER stresses, the glutamic acid and o-acetyl-serine were biomarkers in the shoots. While homoserine, pyroglutamic acid, and phosphoric acid were candidates for roots. At the latest time (96 h), kestose and galactinol were key metabolites for shoots under DTT and TM, respectively. In roots, palatinose, trehalose, and alanine were common markers for DTT and TM late exposure. The accumulation of sugars such as arabinose and kestose occurred mainly in roots in the presence of DTT at a later time, which also inhibited glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA). Amino acid metabolism was induced, which also contributed TCA components decreasing, such as succinate in shoots and citrate in roots. Thus, our study may provide new insights into primary metabolism modulated by ER stress and seedling development.