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<p>The increasing frequency of droughts driven by global warming poses a significant threat to wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.) growth and yield. This study investigated stably inherited cuticular-wax mutants of wheat leaf sheaths, generated by ethyl-methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis and isolated through phenotype-based screening. We systematically analyzed physiological responses, leaf sheath wax architecture, and lipid metabolism in a multi-wax mutant (<i>mw</i>; characterized by abundant leaf sheath wax crystals), a low-wax mutant (<i>lw</i>), and the wild type (WT) under both well-watered and drought conditions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a distinctive honeycomb-like network on the <i>mw</i> sheath epidermis, whereas the <i>lw</i> primarily displayed scattered block-like crystals. Under drought stress, <i>lw</i> leaves lost water significantly faster than <i>mw</i> (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.01). Additionally, the <i>mw</i> leaf sheath exhibited significantly higher peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, lower malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and greater proline accumulation than <i>lw</i> (all <i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). Untargeted lipidomics using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) identified ten major lipid components, with fatty acids representing the largest proportion (25.7%). Aliphatic aldehydes and hydrocarbons were markedly enriched in <i>mw</i> and were positively correlated with drought tolerance indices. Overall, our results suggest that leaf-sheath wax enhances wheat adaptation to drought through the formation of a physical barrier together with modulation of lipid pathways, thereby promoting water retention and antioxidant defense. These findings provide novel metabolic insights into the drought-response mechanisms of leaf-sheath wax and lay a theoretical foundation for breeding drought-resilient wheat cultivars.</p>

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Integrated lipidomics and physiological analyses reveal the critical role of leaf sheath wax remodeling in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) drought resistance

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月28日

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  • Hongwei Wen,
  • Xianghai Meng,
  • Hao Shan,
  • Yuzhi Wang,
  • Shanshan Wang,
  • Mingyi Zhang,
  • Hua Fan,
  • Jun Zheng,
  • Bin Yang,
  • Jinhui Zhang

摘要

The increasing frequency of droughts driven by global warming poses a significant threat to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth and yield. This study investigated stably inherited cuticular-wax mutants of wheat leaf sheaths, generated by ethyl-methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis and isolated through phenotype-based screening. We systematically analyzed physiological responses, leaf sheath wax architecture, and lipid metabolism in a multi-wax mutant (mw; characterized by abundant leaf sheath wax crystals), a low-wax mutant (lw), and the wild type (WT) under both well-watered and drought conditions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a distinctive honeycomb-like network on the mw sheath epidermis, whereas the lw primarily displayed scattered block-like crystals. Under drought stress, lw leaves lost water significantly faster than mw (P < 0.01). Additionally, the mw leaf sheath exhibited significantly higher peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, lower malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and greater proline accumulation than lw (all P < 0.05). Untargeted lipidomics using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) identified ten major lipid components, with fatty acids representing the largest proportion (25.7%). Aliphatic aldehydes and hydrocarbons were markedly enriched in mw and were positively correlated with drought tolerance indices. Overall, our results suggest that leaf-sheath wax enhances wheat adaptation to drought through the formation of a physical barrier together with modulation of lipid pathways, thereby promoting water retention and antioxidant defense. These findings provide novel metabolic insights into the drought-response mechanisms of leaf-sheath wax and lay a theoretical foundation for breeding drought-resilient wheat cultivars.