Effects of cold stress on transcripts and metabolites in tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum)

Plants recognize multiple environmental signals that lead to substantial changes in the regulation of primary and secondary metabolism in order to adapt to environmental stresses. In this study, we investigate the effects of cold on the metabolome and transcriptome of tartary buckwheat, focusing on the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway. Using RNA-sequencing analysis of the cold-regulated transcriptome of buckwheat, we identified several phenylpropanoid biosynthetic transcripts that accumulated in response to cold. To confirm the transcriptome data, we analyzed the expression of the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic transcripts in cold-treated buckwheat and showed that most of the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic transcripts were upregulated in cold-treated buckwheat seedlings with the exception of FtDFR. From the metabolic profiling based on the GC-TOFMS analysis, we show that most of the sugars and their derivatives significantly increase in response to cold, while some of amino acids and their derivatives decrease in cold-treated plants. Some organic acids derived from the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle increased in the cold-treated plants compared with in the plants grown at 25 °C. In particular, the contents of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins were significantly increased by cold treatment. In summary, these results indicate that the metabolome and transcriptome of tartary buckwheat are extensively affected by cold stresses.