Transcriptomic profiling of the flower scent biosynthesis pathway of Cymbidium faberi Rolfe and functional characterization of its jasmonic acid carboxyl methyltransferase gene

BACKGROUND: Cymbidium faberi, one of the most famous oriental orchids, has a distinct flower scent, which increases its economic value. However, the molecular mechanism of the flower scent biosynthesis was unclear prior to this study. Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) is one of the main volatile organic compounds (VOC) produced by the flowers of C. faberi. In this study, unigene 79,363 from comparative transcriptome analysis was selected for further investigation. RESULTS: A transcriptome comparison between blooming and withered flowers of C. faberi yielded a total of 9409 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 558 of which were assigned to 258 pathways. The top ten pathways included α-linolenic acid metabolism, pyruvate metabolism and fatty acid degradation, which contributed to the conversion of α-linolenic acid to MeJA. One of the DEGs, jasmonic acid carboxyl methyltransferase (CfJMT, Unigene 79,363) was highly expressed in the blooming flower of C. faberi, but was barely detected in leaves and roots. Although the ectopic expression of CfJMT in tomato could not increase the MeJA content, the expression levels of endogenous MeJA biosynthesis genes were influenced, especially in the wound treatment, indicating that CfJMT may participate in the response to abiotic stresses. CONCLUSION: This study provides a basis for elucidating the molecular mechanism of flower scent biosynthesis in C. faberi, which is beneficial for the genetically informed breeding of new cultivars of the economically valuable oriental orchids. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-019-5501-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.