Multi‐Omics Analysis of the Response of <i>Angelica sinensis</i> to Alfalfa Mosaic Virus Infection

ABSTRACT Angelica sinensis plants suspected of virus infection were collected from Gansu Province, China, and small RNA sequencing was used to identify the causal agent of the symptoms. Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) was found to be present, and reverse transcription‐quantitative PCR (RT‐qPCR) was used to confirm that 10% of the symptomatic plants were infected. Fourteen days after AMV inoculation, transcriptomic analyses showed that the anthocyanin, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis pathways were up‐regulated in the leaves of A. sinensis . Proteomic analyses showed that the up‐regulated proteins in leaves inoculated with AMV were mainly concentrated in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway and the peroxidase structural domain. Fifteen proteins (genes) were jointly up‐regulated, enriched for the molecular function GO term oxidoreductase activity, acting on NAD(P)H and oxidoreductase activity, and the subcellular localisation of the differential genes was mainly concentrated in the cytoplasm and chloroplast. Differentially expressed genes were enriched in pathways such as phytopathogen interaction and phenylpropane biosynthesis in roots 35 days after AMV inoculation compared to healthy controls. F5H , CHIL , CCoAOMT , COMT and CCR genes related to ferulic acid metabolism were significantly down‐regulated in expression, and four MYB transcription factor genes related to the biosynthetic pathway of phenylpropanes were significantly up‐regulated. These results provide insight into the mechanisms of AMV infection and may be helpful for the cultivation of new A. sinensis varieties with high ferulic acid content.