Multi-Omics Exploration of ABA Involvement in Identifying Unique
Molecular Markers for Single and Combined Stresses in tomato plants
Abstract
Over the past decade, our research group has found that plant responses
to combined abiotic stresses are unique and cannot be inferred from
studying plants exposed to individual stresses. Adaptive mechanisms
involve changes in gene expression, ion regulation, hormonal balance,
and metabolite biosynthesis or degradation. Understanding how these
mechanisms integrate from stress perception to biochemical and
physiological adjustments is a major challenge in abiotic stress
signaling studies. Today, vast amounts of -omics data (genomics,
transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, phenomics) are readily
available. Additonally, each –omic level is regulated and influenced by
the others, highlighting the complexity of plant metabolism’s response
to stress. Considering abscisic acid (ABA) as a key regulator in plant
abiotic stress responses, in our study, ABA-deficient plants (flc)
underwent single or combined salinity and heat stresses were evaluated
and different -omics analyses were conducted. Significant changes in
biomass, photosynthesis, ions, transcripts, and metabolites occurred in
mutant plants under single or combined stresses. Exogenous ABA
application in flc mutants did not fully recover plant phenotypes or
metabolic levels but induced cellular reprogramming with changes in
specific markers. Multi-omic analysis aimed to identify ABA-dependent,
ABA-independent, or stress-dependent markers in plant responses to
single or combined stresses. We demonstrated that studying different
-omics together identifies specific markers for each stress condition
not detectable individually. Our findings provide insight into specific
metabolic markers in plant responses to single and combined stresses,
highlighting specific regulation of metabolic pathways, ion absorption,
and physiological responses crucial for plant tolerance to climate
change.