Metabolomics strategy reveals the effects of lily symptomless virus and cucumber mosaic virus on growth and nutrition quality traits of Lanzhou lily (Lilium davidii var. unicolor)

Abstract

Viral diseases of Lanzhou lilies have resulted in significant reductions in both yield and quality, particularly concerning lily symptomless virus (LSV) and cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) coinfections. However, a significant gap remains in our understanding of the mechanisms. We found coinfections had a more substantial effect on growth and nutrition compared to single infections. Metabolomics analysis showed that coinfections influenced tyrosine metabolism while increasing the accumulation of flavonoids, glycosides, etc; LSV affected carbohydrate metabolism and increased the accumulation of steroids, terpenoids, etc; CMV affected fatty acid and tryptophan metabolism, causing alterations in unsaturated fatty acids, alkaloids, and other metabolite levels. Moreover, functional metabolites significantly correlated with economic traits (i.e., growth and nutrition parameters). Additionally, the correlation is verified by multiple linear regression. This is the first report on the regulatory influence of LSV and CMV infections on lily metabolic processes and quality attributes, with the aim to provide a reference for cultivating high-quality and high-yield lily varieties.