Metabolomics Analysis of Tilletia Controversa Kühn Infected and Non-infected Grains of Wheat

Abstract Dwarf bunt caused by the pathogen Tilletia controversa Kühn is one of the most serious quarantine disease of winter wheat. Metabolomics studies provide detailed information about biochemical changes at the cell and tissue level of the plants. In the present study, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) metabolomic approach was used to investigate the changes in the grains metabolomics of T. controversa infected and non-infected samples. PCA analysis suggested that T. controversa infected and non-infected samples scattered separately during the interaction. LC/MS analysis showed that 62 different metabolites were recorded in the grains, among them total of 34 metabolites were up-regulated and 28 metabolite were down-regulated. The prostaglandins (PGs) and 9-hydroxyoctadecaenoic acids (9-HODEs) are fungal toxin related substances and their expression significantly increased in T. controversa infected grains. Additionally, the concentration of cucurbic acid and octadecatrienoic acid were changed significantly after pathogen infection, which has great role in plant defense. The eight different metabolic pathways activated during the T. controversa and wheat plants interactions including phenylalanine metabolism, isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism, tyrosine metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, alanine, aspartate, glutamate metabolism, and tryptophan metabolism.