Comprehensive profiling of the whole plant volatilome in Arabidopsis :
Exposing dynamic tissue-specific VOC fingerprints linked to the plant’s
adaptation to its environment.
Abstract
Elaborate intra- and interkingdom communication systems have evolved in
plants, where volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are integral signalling
molecules. An investigation into the intricate realm of plant VOCs was
undertaken in this study, confirming known and exposing new roles of
VOCs in the complex mechanisms employed by plants to adapt to their
environment and regulate development accordingly. An untargeted analysis
of VOC data from seven distinct Arabidopsis tissues acquired
using the high throughput, sensitive technique known as Headspace Solid
Phase Micro-Extraction Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry
(HS-SPME-GC/MS) was deployed to explore the whole plant volatilome.
Improved analytical pipelines enabled new analyses of Arabidopsis
datasets revealing an exceptionally dynamic plant volatilome consisting
of 197 emitted VOCs, with 114 being detected in Arabidopsis and
ten in planta for the first time, thereby expanding the
repertoire of detectable VOCs, and quantifiable VAs. A high degree of
tissue-unicity among VOCs emerges, offering unique chemical fingerprints
for flowers, roots, leaves, siliques, and seeds. This work not only
enhances our understanding of plant development and stress tolerance but
also holds promise for leveraging the plant volatilome to improve
agricultural practices and crop production.