INTEGRATED MULTI-OMICS ANALYSIS REVEALS MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS IN COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

Abstract

The explanation of the molecular processes of complex biological systems is one of the key challenges of contemporary plant biology. Grafting is commonly used to promote the crop production, stress tolerance and fruit quality but the relation biologically at the molecular level of graft union development and rootstock-scion interaction has not been well understood. An integrated multi-omics approach was used in this study to examine the interactions at a molecular level in the development of grafts with a combination of transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. High-throughput sequencing and metabolic profiling were done using critical periods in graft healing and then analyzed using differential expression and pathways enrichment. The findings showed that there was dynamic reprogramming of gene expression and accumulation of metabolites especially within pathways related to hormone signaling, carbohydrate metabolism, and vascular differentiation. Simultaneous analysis showed that there is marked cross-talk between transcriptional and metabolic networks suggesting that there is concerted regulation during graft union formation. Moreover, network-based analyses revealed essential hub genes and metabolites that may regulate the healing of grafts and successful integration of its functions. These discoveries offer a more systems level-in-depth view of molecular interactions in the development of the graft and make the approach of multi-omics integration an effective discovery of regulatory processes in complex biological systems. The work will help to further the molecular knowledge of graft biology, and provide the basis to enhance the efficiency of grafting and crop performance with specific biological interventions.