Unravelling phytochemical diversity in potato and lettuce through molecular networking
Samenvatting project
This project is dedicated to further exploiting plant metabolomics, a key technology enabling deep insights into the phytochemical composition of crops. We shall develop a novel generic workflow for robust and high-throughput annotation and biochemical pathway classification of the thousands of phytochemicals that are nowadays detectable by comprehensive metabolomics approaches. We shall also develop reference metabolomics libraries to enable fast annotation of compounds detected in current and future analyses. The key crops chosen in this project are potato and lettuce, and the biological targets relate to breeding and crop sustainability in the broader context of Green Deal targets.
Doel van het project
The goal of this project is to exploit recently-developed in silico metabolite annotation tools and develop an improved pipeline to mine specifically-generated metabolomics data sets for deep phytochemical phenotyping of crop plants. The reference metabolite databases to be generated together with this data pipeline shall allow metabolomics to become a generic key technology in present and future research within the Topsectors Horticulture&Starting Materials and Agri&Food
Motivatie
Develop a novel, generic metabolomics workflow using existing but yet untested tools for faster and broader annotation/biochemical classification of crop phytochemicals, using potato and lettuce as examples.
Develop extensive potato and lettuce metabloite libraries as references for querying applications
Generate various comprehensive metabolomics data sets of diverse series of potato and lettuce samples from participating companies.
Deep dive into these metabolomics data sets using the new annotation workflow in combination withe the new reference libraries, to enable linking the obeserved metabolome differences to I) underlying genetic variation and II) differences in the crop sustainability aspects inclusing (a)biotic stress resistance and product quality traits.
Geplande resultaten
Improved and wider application of metabolomics as a generic, key anabling technology in research within the Topsectors Horticulture&Starting Materials and Agri&Food, dedicated though not restricted to the potato and lettuce breeding and post-harvest industries.
Reference metabolite databases, generated from contrasting potato and lettuce tissues and genotypes, available for all partners in current and future collaborations.
Novel and deep insights into differences in phytochemical composition across sample series and how these differences relate to genotype and phenotype
Validation of the improved metabolomics pipeling in 2 relevant case studies related to the Green Deal initiatives: I) plant breeding, to boost genetical metobolomics studies aimed at identifying genes and genetic markers regulating a preferred phytochemical composition II) agronomy and post-harvest processing: to boost comparative metabolomics studies aimed at identifying phytochemical markers playing a key role in sustainable crop quality traits like tuber vitality, biotic stress resistance, storability and food appreciation (flavour).
Output
Aantal verbeterde producten of diensten-1
A key research technology has been established by developing robust analytical methods, optimizing existing software tools for data processing and compound annotation, and developing new (in-house) scripts to correct for analytical variation and identify metabolite markers related to genotype or phenotype. The newly developed metabolomics workflow can be, and actually is currently applied as service to industrial and academic partners in new research projects.
Impact
Impact –
Though the developed metabolomics workflow has been developed with potato and lettuce as model plants, the technology is obviously generic and has numerous potential applications in research on plant and their (food) products. Not only regarding plant breeding and crop storage, which were the main topics in current project, but also in other research related to plant and product quality traits in which phytochemicals can play a key role, such as (a)biotic) resistance, product taste, colour and nutritional value. In addition, the crop-specific metabolite databases, currently containing phytochemicals detected in the specific materials from the project partners, is highly valuable in research not only on the currently used crops potato and lettuce, but also on related plant species (e.g. tomato, eggplant, chicory, endive, Chrysanthemum) which partly share the same biochemical pathways and phytochemicals (e.g. alkaloids and phenolic compounds in Solanaceae, sesquiterpenes and flavonoids in Asteraceae). Next to the explored applications, the developed metabolomics workflow can be applied as key technology to define effects on the exact phytochemical composition and related product quality by, for instance, food processing conditions, horticultural practices such as vertical farming and supplemented light, biological farming, regenerative agriculture practices, seed ageing, climate changes (i.e. abiotic stress). By identifying the chemical biodiversity in plants and how what changes in the metabolome changes in response to genotypic variation, developmental stages and environment (including food processing and storage), a better understanding of the underlying biochemical processes can be obtained. Subsequent breeding efforts, growing practices or food processing activities can be directed towards an improved phytochemical composition ensuing value-added quality trait(s). The developed technology can be applied in future research projects granted by the Topsectors T&U and A&F, as well as in other national and international public-private partnerships such as EU-projects, and bilateral research projects with industries and academic partners or non-for-profit organizations.