Mechanical stress induces molecular changes in oolong tea: Insights from multi-omics analysis

doi:10.1016/j.jia.2025.09.014

Journal of Integrative Agriculture

2026, Vol. 25

Issue (1): 352-365 DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2025.09.014

Food Science

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Mechanical stress induces molecular changes in oolong tea: Insights from multi-omics analysis

Zhilong Hao^{1, 2*#}, Yuping Zhang^{1, 3*}, Weiyi Kong^{1, 3}, Jiao Feng^{1, 3}, Yucheng Zheng⁴, Hongzheng Lin⁵, Xiaomin Yu¹, Yun Sun^{1, 2}, Xiangxiang Huang^{1, 2}, Wei Wang^{1, 2}, Yang Wu^{1, 2#}, Xinyi Jin^{1, 2#}

¹College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China

² Key Laboratory of Tea Science in Universities of Fujian Province, Fuzhou 350002, China

³Tea Industry Branch of 6.18 Collaborative Innovation Institute in Fujian Province, Fuzhou 350002, China

⁴College of Tea and Food Sciences/Tea Engineering Research Center of Fujian Higher Education/Tea Science Research Institute, Wuyi University, Wuyishan 354300, China

⁵Fujian Vocational College of Agriculture, Fuzhou 350303, China

Highlights:

● Integrated multi-omics (metabolomics, transcriptomics, proteomics) elucidates tea leaf responses to mechanical stress.
● Mechanical stress-activated DAMPs ignite the Ca²⁺-JA-GSH signaling cascade, orchestrating downstream aroma biosynthesis.
● Mechanical stress induces LOX/PAR genes and their encoded proteins in α-linolenic/Phe metabolism, boosting accumulation of 2-phenylethanol and jasmine lactone.

Abstract
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摘要

乌龙茶以其独特的花果香及醇厚的滋味备受消费者青睐。在其加工过程中，摇青工序是塑造其特色风味的关键步骤。在摇青过程中，茶叶经受反复的机械胁迫，进而触发一系列代谢变化，最终影响茶叶的品质。因此，深入解析茶树叶片响应机械胁迫的分子机制，对于揭示乌龙茶采后品质形成机制具有重要意义。本研究以铁观音鲜叶为材料，整合代谢组学、转录组学和TMT蛋白组学分析，系统分析乌龙茶摇青阶段机械胁迫下代谢物、转录本和蛋白质的动态变化规律及其互作关系。结果表明，机械胁迫首先激活损伤相关分子模式（DAMPs），介导Ca²⁺信号、茉莉酸（JA）信号及谷胱甘肽（GSH）代谢等途径的级联响应，并进一步诱导与品质形成密切相关的 α-亚麻酸代谢途径与苯丙氨酸代谢途径。在信号转导层面，CNGCs/CaCML介导的Ca²⁺内流、Rboh/CDPK驱动的ROS爆发以及JAZ/MYC2调控的JA信号网络均表现出基因及其编码蛋白的显著上调，共同激活MAPK级联反应；同时，GPX/GSTs参与的谷胱甘肽代谢维持氧化还原稳态，并与抗坏血酸-谷胱甘肽（ASC-GSH）循环形成联动，从而协调转录、翻译及代谢水平的整体响应。在代谢调控层面，α-亚麻酸途径中LOX等关键基因及其编码的蛋白上调表达，促进茉莉内酯等脂肪酸衍生香气物质的积累；苯丙氨酸途径中PASS、PAR、ARO、ADH等基因及ARO、ADH蛋白上调表达，促进2-苯乙醇和苯甲醇合成。本研究基于多组学技术初步构建了“机械胁迫—信号转导—代谢调控”的调控框架，有助于深入理解乌龙茶特征性物质的形成机制，并为乌龙茶品质代谢调控提供参考。

Abstract

Understanding the molecular responses of tea leaves to mechanical stress is crucial for elucidating the mechanisms of post-harvest quality formation during oolong tea processing. This study employed an integrated multi-omics strategy to characterize the changes and interactions among metabolomic (MB), transcriptomic (TX), and proteomic (PT) profiles in mechanically stressed tea leaves. Mechanical stress initially activated damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), including Ca²⁺ signaling, jasmonic acid signaling, and glutathione metabolism pathways. These processes subsequently induced quality-related metabolic pathways (QRMPs), particularly α-linolenic acid and phenylalanine metabolism. Up-regulated expression of LOX, ADH1, and PAR genes, together with the increased abundance of their encoded proteins, respectively promoted the accumulation of jasmine lactone, benzyl alcohol, and 2-phenylethanol. These findings indicate that mechanical stress influences the metabolite biosynthesis in tea leaves through coordinated molecular responses. This study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying tea leaf responses to mechanical stress and a foundation for future investigations into how early molecular events may contribute to post-harvest metabolic changes during oolong tea processing.

Keywords: oolong tea multi-omics mechanical stress defense response α-Linolenic acid metabolism phenylalanine metabolism

Received: 14 May 2025 Accepted: 09 August 2025 Online: 12 September 2025

Fund:

This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFD2101101), the Earmarked Fund for CARS-19, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32402634), the Modern Agricultural (Tea) Industry Technology System of Fujian Province, China (2025 No. 593) and the Special Fund for Science and Technology Innovation of Fujian Zhang Tianfu Tea Development Foundation, China (FJZTF01).

About author: #Correspondence Zhilong Hao, E-mail: haozhilong@126.com; Yang Wu, E-mail: wy_forward@fafu.edu.cn; Xinyi Jin, E-mail: jxy427@tom.com * These authors contributed equally to this sthdy.

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