Experimental multi-omics study links low-phosphorus tolerance in TY2 oat to coordinated metabolic responses

An experimental comparison of the low-phosphorus-tolerant oat cultivar TY2 and low-phosphorus-sensitive cultivar QH444 found distinct physiological and molecular responses to low-phosphorus treatment. The study combined physiological measurements with transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic analyses to examine how the two cultivars adapt to phosphorus limitation.

Under low-phosphorus conditions, TY2 maintained greater growth stability, increased its investment in roots, accumulated more soluble sugars and showed improved redox homeostasis. Its transcriptome contained a broader detected set of low-phosphorus-responsive genes than QH444. These genes were associated with phosphate-starvation signaling, phosphorus transport and reutilization, lipid-related metabolism, and carbon and energy metabolism.

Proteomic analysis identified candidate changes involving ribosome-related and redox functions in TY2, although no individual protein was significant after correction for multiple testing. Metabolomic profiling showed cultivar-dependent responses involving carbohydrate, cofactor and redox, and amino-acid-associated pathways. Integration of the three omics layers highlighted central carbon, energy and amino-acid metabolism as convergent processes in TY2. Lipid-associated responses were supported at the transcriptomic and metabolomic levels, suggesting lipid adjustment during low-phosphorus stress.

Overall, the findings associate low-phosphorus tolerance in TY2 with greater physiological stability, a broader detected phosphate-starvation transcriptional response and coordinated metabolic regulation across multiple omics layers. The comparison was limited to two cultivars, and the absence of individually significant proteins after multiple-testing correction limits the strength of the proteomic conclusions. The results identify candidate processes for further investigation of phosphorus-use efficiency in oat; they do not establish that the observed pathways cause tolerance or demonstrate improved crop performance. The supplied article version is also described as subject to further edits before replacement by the final Version of Record.

Subject of Research: Genotype-dependent physiological and multi-omics responses to low phosphorus in two oat cultivars

Article Title: Multi-omics analysis reveals distinct phosphate-starvation responses and pathway-level metabolic adaptation associated with low-phosphorus tolerance in oat

Article References: Wei, J., Chen, Y., Wang, H., Wang, P., Tian, L., & Lei, Y. (2026). Multi-omics analysis reveals distinct phosphate-starvation responses and pathway-level metabolic adaptation associated with low-phosphorus tolerance in oat. BMC Plant Biology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-10160-1

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12870-026-10160-1

Keywords: oat, low phosphorus, phosphorus-use efficiency, multi-omics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, phosphate starvation, cultivar tolerance, metabolic adaptation, analysis, reveals