CsGDH2.1 negatively regulates theanine accumulation in late-spring tea plants (Camellia sinensis var. sinensis).

ABSTRACT: Theanine, a unique and the most abundant non-proteinogenic amino acid in tea plants, endows tea infusion with the umami taste and anti-stress effects. Its content in tea correlates highly with green tea quality. Theanine content in new shoots of tea plants is high in mid-spring and greatly decreases in late spring. However, how the decrease is regulated is largely unknown. In a genetic screening, we observed that a yeast mutant, glutamate dehydrolase 2 (gdh2), was hypersensitive to 40 mM theanine and accumulated more theanine. This result implied a role of CsGDH2s in theanine accumulation in tea plants. Therefore, we identified the two homologs of GDH2, CsGDH2.1 and CsGDH2.2, in tea plants. Yeast complementation assay showed that the expression of CsGDH2.1 in yeast

SUBMITTER: Chen T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9832843 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature