Accumulating experimental data have shown that endogenous hormones play important roles in regulating seed dormancy and germination. Zanthoxylum nitidum is a medicinal plant that propagates via seeds, which require a long dormancy period for normal germination, and complex changes in metabolites occur during the germination process. However, the regulatory network of endogenous hormones and metabolites during the germination of Z. nitidum seeds remains unclear. This study investigated the dynamic changes in the levels of metabolites and endogenous hormones during the germination of Z. nitidum seeds. The results revealed an increase in the levels of gibberellin 3 (GA3), 12-oxophytodienoic acid (OPDA), 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) and trans-zeatin (TZ) and decrease in the levels of abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA), N-[(-)-jasmonoyl]-(S)-isoleucine (JA-Ile) and trans-zeatin riboside (TZR). Overall, 112 differential metabolites (DAMs) were screened from 3 seed samples (Sa, Sb and Sc), most of which are related to primary metabolism. A total of 16 DAMs (including 3 monosaccharides, 3 phosphate lipids, 3 carboxylic acids, 1 amino acid, 2 pyrimidines, and 4 nucleotides) were identified in the three sample comparison pairs (Sa vs Sb, Sa vs Sc, and Sb vs Sc); these DAMs were significantly enriched in purine metabolism; glycerophospholipid metabolism, citrate cycle (TCA cycle), alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism and pyruvate metabolism. OPDA, ACC and GAs were significantly positively correlated with upregulated metabolites, whereas ABA and JA were significantly positively correlated with downregulated metabolites. Finally, a hypothetical metabolic network of endogenous hormones that regulate seed germination was constructed. This study deepens our understanding of the importance of endogenous hormonal profiles that mediate seed germination.
Keywords: Zanthoxylum nitidum; endogenous hormone; nontargeted metabolome; seed dormancy; seed germination.