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Exploring the World of Tea: Biochemistry, Genomics, and Molecular Biology
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Exploring the World of Tea: Biochemistry, Genomics, and Molecular Biology

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural Science and Ornamental Plants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 4080

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yuqiong Guo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Interests: tea processing; tea biotechnology; tea biochemistry; genomics; molecular biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lanting Zeng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Genetic Improvement and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 723 Xingke Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510650, China
Interests: tea; Camellia sinensis; quality; secondary metabolite; biosynthesis; stress response; biological function
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Tea, an ancient beverage cherished for its unique flavors and numerous health benefits, continues to captivate researchers worldwide. With advancements in science and technology, our understanding of tea’s complexity has deepened. This Special Issue, “Exploring the World of Tea: Biochemistry, Genomics, and Molecular Biology”, aims to provide a multidisciplinary platform for showcasing cutting-edge research in tea science.

This Special Issue welcomes the submission of manuscripts, including original research, brief research reports, and review articles in (but not limited to) the following areas:

Tea Biochemistry: Delve into the major biochemical constituents of tea. Investigate the roles of these bioactive compounds in determining the flavor, color, aroma, and health benefits of tea. Analyze the impact of different processing methods on the chemical composition of tea.

Genomics of Tea: Explore the application of genomics in tea breeding, focusing on traits like yield, quality, disease resistance, and environmental tolerance.

Molecular Biology of Tea: Investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying tea plant growth, development, and responses to environmental stimuli.

Dr. Yuqiong Guo
Dr. Lanting Zeng
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • flavor chemistry and sensory quality
  • molecular mechanism
  • non-coding RNA
  • omics

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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20 pages, 6023 KB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification, Characterization, and Expression Analysis of Trehalose Metabolism Genes in Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis) Reveals Their Roles in Response to Heat Stress
by Shizhong Zheng, Xiaohui Chen, Ziwei Zhou, Rongzhao Lin, Huangxin Jiang, Liyi Xu and Jingjing Su
Plants 2025, 14(21), 3309; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14213309 - 29 Oct 2025
Viewed by 554
Abstract
Heat stress exacerbated by global warming severely impairs the growth and tea quality of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). Trehalose is pivotal for regulating plant growth and enhancing stress resistance. However, the molecular characteristics, expression patterns, and regulatory mechanisms of trehalose [...] Read more.
Heat stress exacerbated by global warming severely impairs the growth and tea quality of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). Trehalose is pivotal for regulating plant growth and enhancing stress resistance. However, the molecular characteristics, expression patterns, and regulatory mechanisms of trehalose metabolism genes in tea plants under heat stress remain unclear. Therefore, this study conducted a comprehensive investigation of trehalose metabolism genes in the Tieguanyin tea plant genome. A total of 30 trehalose metabolism genes were identified, including 17 trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (CsTPS), 9 trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (CsTPP), and 4 trehalase (CsTRE) genes. These genes were characterized in terms of their chromosomal locations and gene structures; the encoded proteins were characterized in terms of their phylogenetic relationships, conserved motifs, functional domains, physicochemical properties, and subcellular distributions. The results showed that these genes exhibit family-specific structural and functional features, laying a foundation for further functional studies. Collinearity analysis identified 20 homologous gene pairs between tea plants and Arabidopsis thaliana, significantly more than the 3 pairs with Oryza sativa, suggesting a closer evolutionary relationship with A. thaliana. Additionally, five intraspecific duplicated gene pairs were identified, all with Ka/Ks values < 1, indicating they have undergone strong purifying selection during evolution, leading to functional stability. Cis-acting element analysis revealed abundant stress-responsive, light-responsive, and phytohormone-responsive elements in the promoter regions of these trehalose metabolism genes, indicating their potential involvement in tea plant stress resistance regulation. Differential expression analyses under heat stress with exogenous trehalose treatment (CK: control, T: water-sprayed heat stress, TT: 5.0 mM trehalose-sprayed heat stress) identified six differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We further analyzed the expression patterns of these DEGs. Specifically, CsTPS1, CsTPS5, and CsTPS12 were increasingly upregulated in CK, T, and TT, respectively, while CsTPP1 and CsTPP2 were upregulated in TT relative to T. Additionally, CsTRE1, CsTRE2, and CsTRE4 showed downregulation in TT compared to T, though they were not classified as DEGs. These findings indicate that exogenous trehalose application modulates trehalose metabolism by promoting CsTPS and CsTPP expression while inhibiting CsTRE expression, thereby increasing endogenous trehalose content in tea plants under heat stress. Yeast heat stress tolerance assays confirmed that CsTPS1, CsTPS5, CsTPS12, and CsTPP1 enhanced yeast survival at 38 °C, verifying their function in improving organismal heat stress tolerance. In conclusion, these results clarify the roles of trehalose metabolism genes in tea plants’ heat stress response, demonstrating that exogenous trehalose modulates their expression to increase endogenous trehalose levels. This study provides a theoretical foundation for exploring trehalose-mediated heat stress resistance mechanisms and improving tea plant stress tolerance via genetic engineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the World of Tea: Biochemistry, Genomics, and Molecular Biology)
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14 pages, 1465 KB  
Article
Ku2: A Novel Korean Purple-Green Tea Germplasm (Camellia sinensis) with Enhanced Polyphenols and Antioxidant Activity
by Yun-Suk Kwon, Doo-Gyung Moon, Ha Rim Hong, Byung-Hyuk Kim, Eun Young Song, Chun Hwan Kim and Su Jin Kim
Plants 2025, 14(17), 2742; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14172742 - 2 Sep 2025
Viewed by 1055
Abstract
Although colored-leaf tea germplasms can broaden product diversity and functional potential, such resources have been rarely reported in Korea. Herein, we comprehensively characterized Ku2, a newly discovered purple-green line of Camellia sinensis, and benchmarked it against the conventional green-leaf ‘Sangmok’. Five-year-old plants [...] Read more.
Although colored-leaf tea germplasms can broaden product diversity and functional potential, such resources have been rarely reported in Korea. Herein, we comprehensively characterized Ku2, a newly discovered purple-green line of Camellia sinensis, and benchmarked it against the conventional green-leaf ‘Sangmok’. Five-year-old plants grown under identical open-field conditions were evaluated for growth characteristics, leaf pigmentation, biochemical composition, and antioxidant capacity. Ku2 exhibited a more vigorous growth habit with denser branching and produced leaves that were 11% longer and 17% wider than those of ‘Sangmok’, but chlorophyll concentrations were 29–33% lower. Young shoots of Ku2 in the first flush accumulated markedly higher levels of total polyphenols (+38%), anthocyanins (+78%), and total catechins (+35%), including a 70% increase in epigallocatechin-3-gallate. But amino acid and theanine contents were reduced to 30% and 25% of those in ‘Sangmok’, respectively. Consistent with its polyphenol enrichment, Ku2 extracts displayed superior radical-scavenging activity, with lower DPPH and ABTS IC50 values (7.6 ± 0.5 and 11.6 ± 0.2 µg·mL−1) than ‘Sangmok’ (10.1 ± 0.4 and 15.1 ± 0.1 µg·mL−1), approaching ascorbic acid and Trolox standards. These findings highlight Ku2 as a valuable germplasm for developing premium Korean teas and for breeding colored-leaf cultivars enriched with health-promoting metabolites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the World of Tea: Biochemistry, Genomics, and Molecular Biology)
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18 pages, 2950 KB  
Article
Volatilomics and Macro-Composition Analyses of Primary Wuyi Rock Teas of Rougui and Shuixian Cultivars from Different Production Areas
by Lixuan Zhang, Chengzhe Zhou, Cheng Zhang, Mengcong Zhang and Yuqiong Guo
Plants 2024, 13(16), 2206; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13162206 - 9 Aug 2024
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1963
Abstract
Wuyi Rock Tea (WRT) is cherished for its exceptional “rock flavor” and its quality shows obvious regional differences. However, the flavor characteristics of Primary Wuyi Rock Teas (PWRTs) from different production areas remain unclear. Here, the Camellia sinensis var. sinensis cv. ‘Rougui’ and [...] Read more.
Wuyi Rock Tea (WRT) is cherished for its exceptional “rock flavor” and its quality shows obvious regional differences. However, the flavor characteristics of Primary Wuyi Rock Teas (PWRTs) from different production areas remain unclear. Here, the Camellia sinensis var. sinensis cv. ‘Rougui’ and ‘Shuixian’, two quintessential cultivars for making WRT, planted in Zhengyan, Banyan, at high elevations, and Waishan production areas were used to make PWRTs. We conducted a comprehensive comparison of the sensory attributes, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and macro-compositions of PWRTs of ‘Rougui’ and ‘Shuixian’ cultivars from different producing areas. Sensory evaluation indicated that both ‘Rougui’ and ‘Shuixian’ PWRTs from Zhengyan exhibited the best flavor qualities, followed by those from Banyan, at high altitudes, and Waishan production areas. The results of the determination and analysis of VOCs showed 680 VOCs in ‘Rougui’ and ‘Shuixian’ PWRTs, and that the different production areas mainly influenced the quantitative pattern of VOCs and rarely the qualitative composition. Integrated multivariate statistical analysis methods revealed that benzyl alcohol, hotrienol, butanoic acid, 2-methyl-, hexyl ester, benzene, (2-nitroethyl)-, and geranyl isobutyrate may be the key VOCs affecting the aroma differences in PWRTs from different production areas. In addition, water-extractable substances, tea polyphenols, caffeine, and free amino acids may be the important macro-compositions that distinguish PWRTs from different production areas. The metabolite basis for differences in the flavor qualities of PWRTs across production areas was elucidated, which may be helpful for the production of high-quality WRT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the World of Tea: Biochemistry, Genomics, and Molecular Biology)
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