Data from: Intergenerational environmental effects: functional signals in offspring transcriptomes and metabolomes after parental jasmonic acid treatment in apomictic dandelion

Parental environments can influence offspring traits. However, the magnitude of the impact of parental environments on offspring molecular phenotypes is poorly understood. Here, we test the direct effects and intergenerational effects of jasmonic acid (JA) treatment, which is involved in herbivory-induced defense signaling, on transcriptomes and metabolomes in apomictic common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). In a full factorial crossed design with parental and offspring JA and control treatments, we performed leaf RNA-seq gene expression analysis, LC-MS metabolomics and total phenolics assays in offspring plants. Expression analysis, leveraged by a de novo assembled transcriptome, revealed an induced response to JA exposure that is consistent with known JA effects. The intergenerational effect of treatment was considerable: 307 of 858 detected JA-responsive transcripts were affected by parental JA treatment. In terms of the numbers of metabolites affected, the magnitude of the chemical response to parental JA exposure was c. 10% of the direct JA treatment response. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses both identified the phosphatidylinositol signaling pathway as a target of intergenerational JA effects. Our results highlight that parental environments can have substantial effects in offspring generations. Transcriptome and metabolome assays provide a basis for zooming in on the potential mechanisms of inherited JA effects.亲本环境可对子代性状产生影响。然而，亲本环境对子代分子表型的影响程度仍有待阐明。本研究针对参与植食性诱导防御信号传导的茉莉酸（jasmonic acid, JA）处理，探究其对无融合生殖普通蒲公英（Taraxacum officinale）转录组与代谢组的直接效应及跨代效应。 本研究采用亲本与子代均施加JA处理或对照处理的全因子交叉实验设计，对子代植株开展叶片RNA测序（RNA-seq）基因表达分析、液相色谱-质谱联用（LC-MS）代谢组学检测以及总酚类物质含量测定。 依托从头组装的转录组开展表达分析，结果显示植株对JA暴露产生的诱导响应与已知的JA效应一致。处理的跨代效应显著：在检测到的858个JA响应转录本中，有307个受到亲本JA处理的影响。从受影响代谢物数量来看，亲本JA暴露引发的化学响应强度约为直接JA处理响应的10%。转录组与代谢组分析均表明，磷脂酰肌醇信号通路是JA跨代效应的作用靶点。 本研究结果证实，亲本环境对子代可产生显著影响。转录组与代谢组检测技术为解析遗传型JA效应的潜在机制提供了研究基础。