Transcriptome and Metabolome Profiling Reveal the Chlorogenic Acid as a Resistance Substance for Rice against the White-backed Planthopper Sogatella furcifera (Horváth)

Wenqi Xie¹Wencai Tao¹Zhang Huilai¹Juntao Luo²Xiaoyue Deng^1,3Deqiang Li⁴Qing Li¹Haijian Wang¹Yanli Yue¹Surong Jiang¹Chunxian Jiang^1*

• ¹College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
• ²Sorghum Research Institute of the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Science, Deyang, China
• ³Emeishan Agricultural and Rural Bureau, Emeishan, China
• ⁴State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The white-backed planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) is a major migratory pest of rice, making research on rice resistance to WBPH essential for rice breeding and pest management. This study compared the resistance of susceptible rice TN1 and resistant rice KL35 to WBPH by analyzing antixenosis, antibiosis, and tolerance. We also conducted transcriptome and metabolome analysis to identify the defensive compounds against the WBPH and regulatory genes in KL35. The results indicated that KL35 exhibited significant antixenosis and tolerance to WBPH, markedly prolonging developmental duration and reducing fecundity. Metabolomic analysis identified 15 core metabolites, among which chlorogenic acid (CGA) content in KL35 was significantly higher than in TN1 both before and after WBPH feeding. Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses showed that the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway was a key anti-pest pathway in KL35. Additionally, 3 genes involved in the CGA synthesis were significantly upregulated: cinnamate 4-hydroxylase gene (Os05g0320700), 4-coumarate CoA ligase (Os02g0697400), and hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA shikimate/quinate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase gene (novel.1556). Exogenous application of CGA to TN1 enhanced its tolerance and antixenosis to WBPH, significantly decreasing WBPH’s survival and mean dry weight. These findings suggest that CGA is an important resistance substance against WBPH, offering a new perspective for breeding resistant rice.