# Integrative analysis of the transcriptome and proteome reveals the molecular responses of tobacco to boron deficiency

## TL;DR

This study explores how tobacco plants respond at the molecular level to boron deficiency by analyzing gene and protein expression changes.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of tobacco's response to boron deficiency through integrative transcriptome and proteome analysis.

## Key findings

- B deficiency caused morphological and physiological disorders in tobacco seedlings.
- The NIP5;1-BORs module and antioxidant machinery were up-regulated under B deficiency.
- Cell wall metabolism-related genes and proteins showed complex regulation in response to B levels.

## Abstract

Boron (B) is an essential micronutrient for plants. Inappropriate B supply detrimentally affects the productivity of numerous crops. Understanding of the molecular responses of plants to different B supply levels would be of significance in crop improvement and cultivation practices to deal with the problem.

We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the transcriptome and proteome of tobacco seedlings to investigate the expression changes of genes/proteins in response to different B supply levels, with a particular focus on B deficiency. The global gene and protein expression profiles revealed the potential mechanisms involved in the responses of tobacco to B deficiency, including up-regulation of the NIP5;1-BORs module, complex regulation of genes/proteins related to cell wall metabolism, and up-regulation of the antioxidant machinery.

Our results demonstrated that B deficiency caused severe morphological and physiological disorders in tobacco seedlings, and revealed dynamic expression changes of tobacco genes/proteins in response to different B supply levels, especially to B deficiency, thus offering valuable insights into the molecular responses of tobacco to B deficiency.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12870-024-05391-z.