Combining Physiological and Metabolomic Analysis to Unravel the Regulations of Coronatine Alleviating Water Stress in Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.)

Drought is a major abiotic stress that restricts plants growth, development, and yield. Coronatine (COR), a mimic of JA-Ile, functions in plant tolerance to multiple stresses. In our study, we examined the effects of COR in tobacco under polyethylene glycol (PEG) stress. COR treatment improved plant growth under stress as measured by fresh weight (FW) and dry weight (DW). The enzyme activity assay indicated that, under osmotic stress conditions, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and glutathione reductase (GR) were enhanced by COR treatment. Histochemical analyses via nitrotetrazolium blue chloride (NBT) and 3,3′-diaminobenzidine (DAB) staining showed that COR reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation during osmotic stress. Metabolite profiles revealed that COR triggered significant metabolic changes in tobacco leaves under osmotic stress, and many essential metabolites, such as sugar and sugar derivatives, organic acids, and nitrogen-containing compounds, which might play active roles in osmotic-stressed tobacco plants, were markedly accumulated in the COR-treated tobacco. The work presented here provides a comprehensive understanding of the COR-mediated physiological, biochemical, and metabolic adjustments that minimize the adverse impact of osmotic stress on tobacco.