Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Analyses Reveal the Differential Response Model of Cultivated Tea and Wild Tea Resources against Pestalotiopsis theae

Tea gray blight caused by Pestalotiopsis
theae threatens tea production. We investigated the
differential responses
in two cultivated (“JX”, “YJ”) and two
wild tea resources (“R”, “S”) via metabolomics,
transcriptomics, and in vitro analyses. Phenotypically, resistance
ranked “JX” > “R” > “YJ”
> “S”, with “JX” and “R”
showing stronger resistance. Metabolomically, a total of 1062 differentially
accumulated metabolites (DAMs) responded to infection. Resistant materials
were enriched with lipids, alkaloids, etc., while susceptible materials
were enriched with flavonoids, amino acids, etc. Transcriptomically,
32,168 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Resistant
materials upregulated more genes involved in hormone signaling and
phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, with WRKY TFs (CsWRKY75/65/30) as key regulators. “JX” accumulated higher levels
of dihydromyricetin, myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol than “YJ”,
which effectively inhibited P. theae. This study elucidates the molecular-metabolic regulatory mechanism
underlying tea plant resistance to P. theae, providing a theoretical framework for resistance breeding and natural
antifungal agents for green disease control.