Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses Reveal Leaf Regulatory Mechanisms Underlying Low-Nitrogen Tolerance in Oat (Avena sativa L.)
- 1Laboratory for Research and Utilization of Qinghai Tibet Plateau Germplasm Resources, Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
- 2Key Laboratory of Superior Forage Germplasm in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Qinghai Academy of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
- 3School of Computer Technology and Application, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Abstract
Nitrogen deficiency limits oat growth and productivity, but the molecular basis of contrasting low-nitrogen responses among oat germplasms remains poorly understood. This study compared the low-nitrogen-tolerant germplasm Jiayan No.2 with the low-nitrogen-sensitive germplasm ZNY256 after 15 days of hydroponic cultivation under normal nitrogen (10 mM NH4NO3) or low nitrogen (1.25 mM NH4NO3). Growth traits, plant nitrogen content, nitrogen-metabolism-related enzyme activities, soluble sugar content, transcriptomes, and untargeted metabolomes were analyzed. Low nitrogen reduced plant height and plant nitrogen content in both germplasms, with more pronounced changes in ZNY256. Root length was unaffected, whereas root dry weight decreased only in ZNY256. ZNY256 also showed a larger transcriptional response than Jiayan No.2. Functional analyses highlighted phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis, glutathione and nitrogen metabolism, ribosome biogenesis, and plant MAPK signaling. Metabolomic profiling identified changes in amino acid-, lipid-, secondary metabolite-, and antioxidant-related features. Integrated analysis and qRT-PCR validation further identified candidate genes associated with these responses. These findings characterize transcriptional and metabolic changes associated with the contrasting responses of the two oat germplasms to nitrogen deficiency and provide candidate genes, metabolites, and pathways for further investigation of low-nitrogen adaptation in oat.
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BibTeX
@article{pan2026integrated,
title = {{Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses Reveal Leaf Regulatory Mechanisms Underlying Low-Nitrogen Tolerance in Oat (Avena sativa L.)}},
author = {Jing Pan and Miaomiao Huang and Zeliang Ju and Xiang Ma and Lianxue Duan and Long Ren and Zhifeng Jia},
journal = {Cells},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/cells15201874},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/15/20/1874},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses Reveal Leaf Regulatory Mechanisms Underlying Low-Nitrogen Tolerance in Oat (Avena sativa L.)
AU - Jing Pan
AU - Miaomiao Huang
AU - Zeliang Ju
AU - Xiang Ma
AU - Lianxue Duan
AU - Long Ren
AU - Zhifeng Jia
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Cells
DO - 10.3390/cells15201874
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/15/20/1874
AB - Nitrogen deficiency limits oat growth and productivity, but the molecular basis of contrasting low-nitrogen responses among oat germplasms remains poorly understood. This study compared the low-nitrogen-tolerant germplasm Jiayan No.2 with the low-nitrogen-sensitive germplasm ZNY256 after 15 days of hydroponic cultivation under normal nitrogen (10 mM NH4NO3) or low nitrogen (1.25 mM NH4NO3). Growth traits, plant nitrogen content, nitrogen-metabolism-related enzyme activities, soluble sugar content, transcriptomes, and untargeted metabolomes were analyzed. Low nitrogen reduced plant height and plant nitrogen content in both germplasms, with more pronounced changes in ZNY256. Root length was unaffected, whereas root dry weight decreased only in ZNY256. ZNY256 also showed a larger transcriptional response than Jiayan No.2. Functional analyses highlighted phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis, glutathione and nitrogen metabolism, ribosome biogenesis, and plant MAPK signaling. Metabolomic profiling identified changes in amino acid-, lipid-, secondary metabolite-, and antioxidant-related features. Integrated analysis and qRT-PCR validation further identified candidate genes associated with these responses. These findings characterize transcriptional and metabolic changes associated with the contrasting responses of the two oat germplasms to nitrogen deficiency and provide candidate genes, metabolites, and pathways for further investigation of low-nitrogen adaptation in oat.
SN - 2073-4409
ER -