Genetic, proteomic and metabolic analysis of the regulation of energy storage in rice seedlings in response to drought

• Published in: Proteomics (Weinheim) 2011-11, Vol.11 (21), p.4122-4138
• Main Authors: Shu, Liebo, Lou, Qiaojun, Ma, Chenfei, Ding, Wei, Zhou, Jia, Wu, Jinhong, Feng, Fangjun, Lu, Xin, Luo, Lijun, Xu, Guowang, Mei, Hanwei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino acids; Analytical, structural and metabolic biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Carbohydrate metabolism; Carbohydrates; cDNA microarray; Data processing; DNA microarrays; Drought; Drought-induced stress; Droughts; Energy Metabolism; Energy storage; Enzymes; Fatty acids; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Medical research; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Metabolic pathways; Metabolism; Metabolites; Miscellaneous; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Oryza - genetics; Oryza - metabolism; Oryza sativa; Oryza sativa L; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plant proteomics; Protein folding; Proteins; Proteomics; Seedlings; Seedlings - genetics; Seedlings - metabolism; Translation
• ISSN: 1615-9853; 1615-9861
• DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201000485

We used proteomic analysis to determine the response of rice plant seedlings to drought‐induced stress. The expression of 71 protein spots was significantly altered, and 60 spots were successfully identified. The greatest down‐regulated protein functional category was translation. Up‐regulated proteins were mainly related to protein folding and assembly. Additionally, many proteins involved in metabolism (e.g. carbohydrate metabolism) also showed differences in expression. cDNA microarray and GC‐MS analysis showed 4756 differentially expressed mRNAs and 37 differentially expressed metabolites. Once these data were integrated with the proteomic analysis, we were able to elucidate the metabolic pathways affected by drought‐induced stress. These results suggest that increased energy consumption from storage substances occurred during drought. In addition, increased expression of the enzymes involved in anabolic pathways corresponded with an increase in the content of six amino acids. We speculated that energy conversion from carbohydrates and/or fatty acids to amino acids was increased. Analysis of basic metabolism networks allowed us to understand how rice plants adjust to drought conditions.