Transcriptome and Metabolome Analysis of the Synthesis Pathways of Allelochemicals in Eupatorium adenophorum

[Image: see text] Eupatorium adenophorum (Crofton weed) is an invasive weed in more than 30 countries. It inhibits the growth of surrounding plants by releasing allelochemicals during its invasion. However, the synthetic pathways and molecular mechanisms of its allelochemicals have been rarely reported. In this study, the related genes and pathways of allelochemicals in E. adenophorum were analyzed. Transcriptome analysis showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly enriched in the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway and flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. Thirty-three DEGs involved in the synthesis of allelochemicals were identified, and 30 DEGs showed significant differences in blades and stems. Six allelochemicals were identified from blades and stems by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Correlation analysis of genes and metabolites showed a strong correlation between the five genes and allelochemicals. In addition, this study supplemented the biosynthetic pathway of Eupatorium adenophorum B (HHO). It was found that acyclic sesquiterpene synthase (NES), δ-cadinene synthase (TPS), and cytochrome P450 (P450) were involved in the synthesis of HHO. These findings provide a dynamic spectrum consisting of allelochemical metabolism and a coexpression network of allelochemical synthesis genes in E. adenophorum.