Table 12_Multi-omics analysis reveals the physiological and molecular response to cold stress in different spring wheat cultivars at the booting stage.xlsx

IntroductionCold stress at the booting stage can seriously affect wheat growth, development and yield.
MethodsTherefore, this study employed integrated physiological, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic approaches to examine the response of two wheat cultivars, Chuanmai 104 (CM104, cold-tolerant) and Chuanmai 42 (CM42, cold-sensitive), to cold stress at the booting stage.
ResultsThe viability of pollen in CM104 was less affected by low-temperature stress compared to CM42, ensuring a higher seed-setting rate in CM104. The young spike of CM104 also synthesized more osmoregulatory substances, endogenous hormones and higher antioxidant enzyme activities under the cold treatment compared to CM42. Transcriptome analysis identified 7,362 and 5,328 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between control and cold-treated CM104 and CM42 spike samples, respectively. More DEGs, such as transcription factors, late embryogenesis abundant protein and hormone signalling transduction involved in the key regulatory pathways associated with cold tolerance were expressed in CM104. Proteomic and metabolomic analyses identified 173 differentially expressed proteins and 180 differentially accumulated metabolites between control and cold-treated CM104 spike samples, with some thought to enhance the cold acclimation of the variety. Integrative multi-omics analysis highlighted the critical roles of starch and sucrose, and glycerophospholipid metabolism in response to cold stress in CM104.
DiscussionThis study uncovered the physiological changes, gene, protein and metabolite pathways involved in maintaining the osmotic balance and mitigating low-temperature stress in wheat spikes, and could serve as a crucial reference for selecting and breeding low-temperature tolerant wheat varieties.

**引言**：孕穗期低温胁迫会严重影响小麦的生长发育与籽粒产量。
**方法**：本研究整合生理学、转录组学、蛋白质组学与代谢组学技术手段，探究两个小麦品种——川麦104（CM104，耐冷型）与川麦42（CM42，冷敏感型）在孕穗期对低温胁迫的响应机制。
**结果**：与川麦42相比，川麦104的花粉活力受低温胁迫的影响更小，进而保障了更高的结实率。低温处理下，川麦104的幼穗可合成更多渗透调节物质与内源激素，且抗氧化酶活性显著高于川麦42。转录组分析显示，对照与低温处理的川麦104、川麦42幼穗样本之间，分别鉴定出7362个和5328个差异表达基因（differentially expressed genes, DEGs）。川麦104中，更多参与耐冷关键调控通路的差异表达基因得以表达，其中包括转录因子、胚胎发育晚期丰富蛋白以及激素信号转导相关基因。蛋白质组与代谢组分析显示，对照与低温处理的川麦104幼穗样本之间共鉴定出173个差异表达蛋白与180个差异积累代谢物，其中部分分子被认为可增强该品种的冷驯化能力。整合多组学分析揭示，淀粉与蔗糖代谢、甘油磷脂代谢在川麦104应对低温胁迫过程中发挥关键作用。
**讨论**：本研究阐明了小麦幼穗维持渗透平衡、缓解低温胁迫所涉及的生理变化、基因、蛋白及代谢通路，可为耐低温小麦品种的选育提供重要参考依据。