Overlapping metabolomes indicate common biomarkers to M/PTI responses induced by lipopolysaccharides, chitosan and flagellin-22 in Nicotiana tabacum cells.
I. DUBERY (1), M. Mhlongo (1), L. Piater (1), N. Madala (1), P. Steenkamp (2) (1) University of Johannesburg, South Africa; (2) CSIR, South Africa

As a post-genomic approach, metabolomics, has proven to be a powerful tool to interrogate cellular biochemistry, investigating metabolism and its reciprocal crosstalk with cellular signalling and regulation. The metabolic profiles may be seen as functional signatures of the physiological state of the biosystem under investigation. Here we applied a metabolomic approach to study and compare the responses induced in Nicotiana tabacum cells by microbe/pathogen-associated molecular pattern (M/PAMP) molecules, namely lipopolysaccharides (LPS), chitosan (CHT) and flagellin-22 (FLG22). Early-response metabolites, extracted with methanol, were analysed by UHPLC-MS/MS. Using multivariate statistical tools the metabolic profiles induced by these elicitors were analysed. Metabolites induced by the activators belong to the early shikimate - phenylpropanoid pathway. Although the different M/PAMPs activated similar pathways, three different metabolite fingerprints were generated. A total of 19 hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives conjugated to quinic acids (chlorogenic acids), shikimic acid, tyramine, polyamines or glucose were found as discriminant biomarkers, associated with the metabolic response to the M/PAMPs. In addition, treatment with the phytohormones salicylic acid (SA), methyl jasmonic acid (MJ) and abscisic acid (ABA) resulted in differentially-induced phenylpropanoid pathway metabolites, indicating that the activated responses are modulated by both SA and MJ, but not ABA.

Abstract Number: P18-665
Session Type: Poster