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Volume 15
Issue 3
10.3390/plants15030384
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Article

Integrated Volatile Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis Provides Insights into Floral Aroma Biosynthesis in Waterlilies (Nymphaea L.)

by
Qun Su
1,2,†,
Fengshun Wang
2,†,
Jiahui Zhao
2,
Jianxun Lu
2,
Hongyan Wang
2,
Yanfei La
2,
Zhenglin Wan
2,
Yuling Lin
1,
Min Tian
3,*,
Lingyun Wang
4,* and
Zhongxiong Lai
1,*
1
Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
2
Flower Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
3
Key Laboratory for Flower Breeding of Yunnan Province, Floriculture Research Institute, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, National Engineering Research Center for Ornamental Horticulture, Kunming 650200, China
4
Laboratory of Characteristic Aquatic Vegetable Breeding and Cultivation, Jinhua Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinhua 321000, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Plants 2026, 15(3), 384; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030384
Submission received: 23 December 2025 / Revised: 19 January 2026 / Accepted: 21 January 2026 / Published: 27 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant Natural Products Biosynthesis and Metabolic Engineering—2nd Edition)
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Abstract

Waterlily (Nymphaea L.), a globally renowned aquatic ornamental plant, is prized for its aesthetic flowers and intense floral fragrance. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying floral scent biosynthesis in waterlily remain poorly characterized, and integrated analyses of dynamic volatile emission patterns and their associated biosynthetic pathways are lacking. In this study, we combined headspace solid-phase microextraction/gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) with transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) to investigate the composition, emission dynamics, and biosynthesis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the stamens of Nymphaea ‘Paul Stetson’ across three developmental stages. A total of 671 VOCs, classified into 14 categories, were identified. Transcriptome analysis revealed 47,951 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Integrative omics analysis demonstrated correlated DEGs and differentially accumulated volatiles were significantly enriched in pathways related to phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, diterpenoid biosynthesis, and ubiquinone/other terpenoid-quinone biosynthesis. Five candidate functional genes exhibiting strong positive correlations with VOC accumulation levels were identified, three of which are implicated in terpenoid biosynthesis. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for elucidating aroma composition and biosynthesis in waterlily and offer novel avenues for the genetic improvement of fragrance traits for ornamental, beverage, and cosmetic applications.
Keywords: Nymphaea ‘Paul Stetson’ stamen; volatile organic compound; floral aroma; terpenoid biosynthesis; volatile metabolome and transcriptome analysis Nymphaea ‘Paul Stetson’ stamen; volatile organic compound; floral aroma; terpenoid biosynthesis; volatile metabolome and transcriptome analysis

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MDPI and ACS Style

Su, Q.; Wang, F.; Zhao, J.; Lu, J.; Wang, H.; La, Y.; Wan, Z.; Lin, Y.; Tian, M.; Wang, L.; et al. Integrated Volatile Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis Provides Insights into Floral Aroma Biosynthesis in Waterlilies (Nymphaea L.). Plants 2026, 15, 384. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030384

AMA Style

Su Q, Wang F, Zhao J, Lu J, Wang H, La Y, Wan Z, Lin Y, Tian M, Wang L, et al. Integrated Volatile Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis Provides Insights into Floral Aroma Biosynthesis in Waterlilies (Nymphaea L.). Plants. 2026; 15(3):384. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030384

Chicago/Turabian Style

Su, Qun, Fengshun Wang, Jiahui Zhao, Jianxun Lu, Hongyan Wang, Yanfei La, Zhenglin Wan, Yuling Lin, Min Tian, Lingyun Wang, and et al. 2026. "Integrated Volatile Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis Provides Insights into Floral Aroma Biosynthesis in Waterlilies (Nymphaea L.)" Plants 15, no. 3: 384. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030384

APA Style

Su, Q., Wang, F., Zhao, J., Lu, J., Wang, H., La, Y., Wan, Z., Lin, Y., Tian, M., Wang, L., & Lai, Z. (2026). Integrated Volatile Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis Provides Insights into Floral Aroma Biosynthesis in Waterlilies (Nymphaea L.). Plants, 15(3), 384. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030384

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