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Journal of Tea Science ›› 2024, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (3): 399-410.doi: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.03.003

• Research Paper • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatial Transcriptome Sequencing of Shilixiang in Yunnan Province

WANG Dongxue1,2, MAN Jiaxu3, WU Simin1,2, ZHAO Xueting1, ZHANG Dongying1,2,*   

  1. 1. College of Science, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China;
    2. Key Laboratory of Pu'er Tea Science, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China;
    3. Institute of Agricultural Products Processing, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
  • Received:2023-09-12 Revised:2024-01-24 Online:2024-06-15 Published:2024-07-08

Abstract: In recent years, Yunnan's large leaf tea and ancient tea resources have attracted much attention, while there are relatively few reports on the research of small leaf tea resources. Shilixiang, a distinctive small leaf tea resource in Yunnan, possessed unique quality and a long drinking history. Spatial transcriptome technology, an emerging gene expression analysis technique, has not been previously applied to tea resources according to current literature. The gene characterization and spatial regulation mechanism of the tender buds of Shilixiang were researched by spatial transcriptome sequencing technology in this study. The results show that 13 clusters of different cell types in the tender bud cells were identified by a spot clustering analysis and the spatial transcriptome map was constructed. The expression positions of clusters during the two developmental stages of the bud were different and spatial heterogeneity was observed from this analysis. Further exploration involved the identification of differential genes in various cell type clusters, with a focus on stress response and growth and development regulation. Representative stress responsive genes included LOC114312694, LOC114319171, LOC114320792, LOC114287723, LOC114284011 and LOC114289235. Meanwhile, representative growth and development genes included LOC114263486, LOC114320821, LOC114292779, LOC114321117, and LOC114286858. A spatial distribution map illustrated the high expression of these stress response and growth development genes in young leaves, indicating their crucial role in the early stage of tender bud development. Further GO and KEGG enrichment analysis reveal that the differential genes in the tender buds of Shilixiang are associated with multiple important pathways. These pathways included translation, jasmonic acid signal regulation, calcium ion binding, and plant hormone signal transduction, all of which are closely linked to the growth and development of tea plants. The results of this study provided a solid scientific foundation for understanding the developmental biology of Shilixiang. Additionally, they provided a new perspective for exploring other tea resources.

Key words: Shilixiang, spatial transcriptome, differential gene, spatial heterogeneity, developmental biology

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