Integrated Metabolomics, Transcriptomics, and Functional Validation Reveal Oxidoreductase-Associated Strictinin Accumulation in Assam tea Germplasm

ABSTRACT: Strictinin, a bioactive hydrolyzable tannin in tea, accumulates at high levels in some Assam tea germplasms, yet the molecular basis underlying its variation remains unclear. Here, a rapid LC-MS/MS method was established for strictinin quantification and applied to profile 157 Assam tea accessions, followed by comparative metabolomics, transcriptomics, weighted gene co-expression network analysis, and antisense oligonucleotide-mediated gene silencing. Strictinin showed extensive natural variation across the germplasm population. Comparative analysis of high- and low-strictinin accessions indicated that elevated strictinin accumulation was associated with differential partitioning of hydrolyzable tannin intermediates rather than increased gallic acid abundance, accompanied by broad shifts in phenylpropanoid-related metabolism. Multi-omics integration identified strictinin-associated modules and four oxidoreductase candidates, CsLAC15, CsCYP81C13, CsCYP75B2, and CsCYP75A1. Silencing of these genes reduced strictinin and increased pentagalloylglucose, while silencing CsCYP81C13 also increased gallic acid. These findings indicate that strictinin variation in Assam tea is primarily associated with downstream oxidoreductase-linked metabolism of galloylglucose intermediates and provide analytical and molecular resources for breeding tea germplasm with elevated strictinin content.

INSTRUMENT(S): Liquid Chromatography MS - alternating - reverse-phase

PROVIDER: MTBLS14896 | MetaboLights | 2026-08-03

REPOSITORIES: MetaboLights