CsLAC4, regulated by CsmiR397a, confers drought tolerance to the tea plant by enhancing lignin biosynthesis.

Drought is a prevalent abiotic stress that commonly affects the quality and yield of tea. Although numerous studies have shown that lignin accumulation holds significant importance in conferring drought tolerance to tea plants, the underlying molecular regulatory mechanisms governing the tea plant's response to drought remain largely elusive. LACCASEs (LACs), which belong to the class of plant copper-containing polyphenol oxidases, have been widely reported to participate in lignin biosynthesis in plants and are implicated in numerous plant life processes, especially in the context of adverse conditions.

Identification of a Flavanone 2-Hydroxylase Involved in Flavone -Glycoside Biosynthesis from .

Tea contains a variety of flavone -glycosides, which are important compounds that distinguish tea cultivars and tea categories. However, the biosynthesis pathway of flavone -glycosides in tea plant remains unknown, and the key enzymes involved have not been characterized. In this study, a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method to determine 9 flavone -glycosides was developed, and the accumulation patterns of 9 flavone -glycosides in tea plants were examined first.

CsWRKY12 interacts with CsVQ4L to promote the accumulation of galloylated catechins in tender leaves of tea plants.

Galloylated catechins in tea leaves, primarily epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and epicatechin gallate (ECG), possess prominent biological activities. It is well established that EGCG and ECG are abundantly present in tender leaves but are less prevalent in mature leaves. However, the fundamental regulatory mechanisms underlying this distribution remain unknown.

The tea cultivar 'Chungui' with jasmine-like aroma: From genome and epigenome to quality.

'Chungui' is a newly promoted tea cultivar in China, renowned for producing oolong tea with a distinctive jasmine-like aroma. However, the genetic basis of this unique aroma remains unclear. In this study, the 'Chungui' genome, one of the most complete and well-annotated tea genomes, was assembled using PacBio HiFi reads and Hi-C sequencing.

Alternative splicing of CsbHLH133 regulates geraniol biosynthesis in tea plants.

Geraniol is one of the most abundant aromatic compounds in fresh tea leaves and contributes to the pleasant odor of tea products. Additionally, it functions as an airborne signal that interacts with other members of the ecosystem. To date, the regulation of the geraniol biosynthesis in tea plants remains to be investigated.

The - module regulates lignin biosynthesis to balance the tenderness and gray blight resistance in young tea shoots.

Lignin accumulation can enhance the disease resistance of young tea shoots (). It also greatly reduces their tenderness, which indirectly affects the quality and yield of tea. Therefore, the regulation of lignin biosynthesis appears to be an effective way to balance tenderness and disease resistance in young tea shoots.

Two galactinol synthases contribute to the drought response of Camellia sinensis.

CsGolS2-1 and CsGolS2-2 are involved in the transcriptional mechanism and play an important role in the drought response of tea plants. GolS is critical for the biosynthesis of galactinol and has been suggested to contribute to drought tolerance in various plants. However, whether GolS plays a role in drought response and the underlying transcriptional mechanism of GolS genes in response to drought stress in tea plants is still unclear.

Nontargeted and targeted metabolomics analysis for evaluating the effect of "golden flora" amount on the sensory quality, metabolites, and the alpha-amylase and lipase inhibitory activities of Fu brick tea.

To investigate the effects of "golden flora" amount on the sensory quality, metabolites and bioactivities of Fu brick tea (FBT), FBT samples with different "golden flora" amounts were prepared from the same materials by adjusting the water content before pressing. With the increase of "golden flora" in samples, the tea liquor color changed from yellow to orange red and the astringent taste gradually diminished. Targeted analysis demonstrated that (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, (-)-epicatechin gallate, and most amino acids gradually decreased as the increase of "golden flora".

Determination of Tea Aroma Precursor Glycosides: An Efficient Approach via Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Tea aroma components are often stored as glycosidically bound forms in the tea plant (). However, the determination of these glycosides in tea samples is far from optimal. In the present study, we developed a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method for simultaneous quantification of eight primary aroma glycosides within 10 min.

Widely targeted metabolomics using UPLC-QTRAP-MS/MS reveals chemical changes during the processing of black tea from the cultivar Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze cv. Huangjinya.

Huangjinya is a light-sensitive mutant tea cultivar that produces fresh leaves with a yellow phenotype, and the leaves also be used to produce black tea with special sensory characteristics. To thoroughly explore the chemical changes that occur during the processing of Huangjinya black tea, tea samples were collected from each processing step to perform quantitative and qualitative analyses by high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). Compared to fresh tea leaves, only approximately 20% of the catechins remained at the end of processing, while theaflavins levels peaked at the rolling step and were slightly reduced in the fermentation and drying processes.

Accumulation of Galactinol and ABA Is Involved in Exogenous EBR-Induced Drought Tolerance in Tea Plants.

Drought stress severely limits growth and causes losses in the yield of tea plants. Exogenous application of 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) positively regulates drought responses in various plants. However, whether EBR could contribute to drought resistance in tea plants and the underlying mechanisms has not been investigated.

Comparative Assessment of the Antibacterial Efficacies and Mechanisms of Different Tea Extracts.

Tea is a popular beverage known for its unique taste and vast health benefits. The main components in tea change greatly during different processing methods, which makes teas capable of having different biological activities. We compared the antibacterial activity of four varieties of tea, including green, oolong, black, and Fuzhuan tea.

Genome-Wide Characterization and Expression Analysis of Pathogenesis-Related 1 () Gene Family in Tea Plant ( (L.) O. Kuntze) in Response to Blister-Blight Disease Stress.

Pathogenesis-related 1 (PR-1) proteins, which are defense proteins in plant-pathogen interactions, play an important role in the resistance and defense of plants against diseases. Blister blight disease is caused by Massee and a major leaf disease of tea plants ( (L.) O.

CsGSTU8, a Glutathione S-Transferase From , Is Regulated by CsWRKY48 and Plays a Positive Role in Drought Tolerance.

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) constitute a large family of enzymes with a wide range of cellular functions. Recently, plant GSTs have gained a great deal of attention due to their involvement in the detoxification of electrophilic xenobiotics and peroxides under adverse environmental conditions, such as salt, cold, UV-B and drought stress. A previous study reported that a GST gene () in tea plant was distinctly induced in response to drought, suggesting this gene plays a critical role in the drought stress response.

Isolation and Functional Characterization of Multiple NADPH-Cytochrome P450 Reductase Genes from in View of Catechin Biosynthesis.

Catechins are critical constituents for the sensory quality and health-promoting benefits of tea. Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases are required for catechin biosynthesis and are dependent on NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductases (CPRs) to provide reducing equivalents for their activities. However, CPRs have not been identified in tea, and their relationship to catechin accumulation also remains unknown.

CsUGT78A15 catalyzes the anthocyanidin 3-O-galactoside biosynthesis in tea plants.

Anthocyanins are a group of natural water-soluble pigments in plants that contribute to the pink-purple color of a range of tissues. Because anthocyanins have various biological activities in human health, there is great research interest in the development of anthocyanin-rich foods and beverages, including purple shoot tea. Anthocyanidin 3-O-galactosides have been identified as one of the main anthocyanin components in purple shoot tea, but the enzyme responsible for their biosynthesis remains unclear.

Hormone Orchestrates a Hierarchical Transcriptional Cascade That Regulates Al-Induced De Novo Root Regeneration in Tea Nodal Cutting.

The aluminum in acid soils is very rhizotoxic to most plant species, but it is essential for root growth and development in However, the molecular basis of Al-mediated signaling pathways in root regeneration of tea plants is largely unclear. In this study, we profiled the physiological phenotype, transcriptome, and phytohormones in the process using stems treated with Al (0.3 mM) and control (0.

Integrated Analysis of Long Non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs Reveals the Regulatory Role of lncRNAs Associated With Salt Resistance in .

Tea plant (), an important economic crop, is seriously affected by various abiotic stresses, including salt stress, which severely diminishes its widespread planting. However, little is known about the roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in transcriptional regulation under salt stress. In this study, high-throughput sequencing of tea shoots under salt-stress and control conditions was performed.

Overexpression of CsSnRK2.5 increases tolerance to drought stress in transgenic Arabidopsis.

Drought is a major factor limiting crop productivity and quality. Sucrose non-fermenting-1 (SNF1)-related protein kinase 2s (SnRK2s) play critical roles in plant abiotic stress responses, especially in drought stress. However, knowledge regarding the functional roles of SnRK2s in drought stress and their underlying mechanisms is relatively limited in tea plant.

Alternative Splicing of Key Genes in LOX Pathway Involves Biosynthesis of Volatile Fatty Acid Derivatives in Tea Plant ().

Volatile fatty acid derivatives (VFADs) produced in tea plants () not only have been shown to function as defense compounds but also impart a "fresh green" odor to green tea products; however, little is known about alternative splicing (AS) of genes in regulating the production of VFADs in plants. In this study, the contents of VFADs and corresponding transcriptome profiles were obtained in five different months (April, June, August, September, and October). Correlation analysis identified seven unique transcripts of enzyme-coding genes (, , , , and ), which are responsible for regulating VFAD biosynthesis; four AS transcripts of these genes (, , , and ) were validated by RT-PCR.

The late embryogenesis abundant gene family in tea plant (Camellia sinensis): Genome-wide characterization and expression analysis in response to cold and dehydration stress.

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are a large and highly diverse family of polypeptides that play important roles in plant growth, development and stress responses. At present, LEA gene families have been identified and systematically characterized in many plant species. However, the LEA gene family in tea plant has not been revealed, and the biological functions of the members of this family remain unknown.

CsINV5, a tea vacuolar invertase gene enhances cold tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis.

Background: Vacuolar invertases (VINs) have been reported to regulate plant growth and development and respond to abiotic stresses such as drought and cold. With our best knowledge, the functions of VIN genes little have been reported in tea plant (Camellia sinensis L.).