
茶の根では、テアニン合成経路が細胞間で分断されており、転写因子とその標的遺伝子が同一の細胞クラスター内に高発現する必要はない。


coremsg

Root-synthesized secondary metabolites are critical quality-conferring compounds of foods, plant-derived medicines, and beverages. However, information at a single-cell level on root-specific secondary metabolism remains largely unexplored. L-theanine, an important quality component of tea, is primarily synthesized in roots, from which it is then transported to new tea shoots. In this study, we present a single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq)-derived map for the tea root, which enabled cell-type-specific analysis of glutamate and ethylamine (two precursors of theanine biosynthesis) metabolism, and theanine biosynthesis, storage, and transport. Our findings support a model in which the theanine biosynthesis pathway occurs via multicellular compartmentation and does not require high co-expression levels of transcription factors and their target genes within the same cell cluster. This study provides novel insights into theanine metabolism and regulation, at the single-cell level, and offers an example for studying root-specific secondary metabolism in other plant systems.

### Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Root-specific secondary metabolism at the single-cell level: a case study of theanine metabolism and regulation in the roots of tea plants (Camellia sinensis)

茶の根における単一細胞レベルの二次代謝-茶植物-camellia-sinensis-の根におけるテアニン代謝と調節に関する事例研究


茶の根における単一細胞レベルの二次代謝:茶植物(Camellia sinensis)の根におけるテアニン代謝と調節に関する事例研究
