Table_2_Flexible response and rapid recovery strategies of the plateau forage Poa crymophila to cold and drought.xlsx

Cold and drought stress are the two most severe abiotic stresses in alpine regions. Poa crymophila is widely grown in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau with strong tolerance. Here, by profiling gene expression patterns and metabolomics-associated transcriptomics co-expression network, the acclimation of Poa crymophila to the two stresses was characterized. (1) The genes and metabolites with stress tolerance were induced by cold and drought, while those related with growth were inhibited, and most of them were restored faster after stresses disappeared. In particular, the genes for the photosynthesis system had strong resilience. (2) Additionally, cold and drought activated hypoxia and UV-B adaptation genes, indicating long-term life on the plateau could produce special adaptations. (3) Phenolamines, polyamines, and amino acids, especially N′,N″,N′″-p-coumaroyl-cinnamoyl-caffeoyl spermidine, putrescine, and arginine, play key roles in harsh environments. Flexible response and quick recovery are strategies for adaptation to drought and cold in P. crymophila, accounting for its robust tolerance and resilience. In this study, we presented a comprehensive stress response profile of P. crymophila and provided many candidate genes or metabolites for future forage improvement.

寒凉与干旱胁迫是高山区域最为严峻的两种非生物胁迫。鹅观草（Poa crymophila）在青藏高原广泛种植，展现出强大的耐受力。本研究通过分析基因表达模式和与代谢组学相关的转录组共表达网络，揭示了鹅观草对这两种胁迫的适应性特征。（1）冷胁迫与干旱胁迫诱导了耐胁迫的基因和代谢物，而与生长相关的基因则受到抑制，大部分基因在胁迫消失后迅速恢复。特别是光合作用系统的基因展现出强大的恢复力。（2）此外，冷胁迫与干旱胁迫激活了缺氧和UV-B适应性基因，表明长期生活在高原上能够产生特殊的适应性。（3）苯丙胺、多胺和氨基酸，尤其是N′，N″，N′″-对香豆酰基肉桂酰基咖啡酰基精胺、腐胺和精氨酸，在恶劣环境中扮演着关键角色。灵活的响应和快速的恢复是鹅观草适应干旱和冷胁迫的策略，这些策略赋予了其强大的耐受力和恢复力。在本研究中，我们呈现了鹅观草的全面胁迫响应特征，并为未来的牧草改良提供了许多候选基因或代谢物。