Overexpression of LiTPS2 from a cultivar of lily (Lilium ‘Siberia’) enhances the monoterpenoids content in tobacco flowers

Abstract Lily, a famous cut flower with highly fragrance, has high ornamental and economic values. Monoterpenes are the main components contributing to its fragrance, and terpene synthase (TPS) genes play critical roles in the biosynthesis of monoterpenoids. To understand the function of TPS and to explore the molecular mechanism of floral scent in cultivar Lilium ‘Siberia’, transcriptomes of petal at different flowering stages and leaf were obtained by RNA sequencing and three unigenes related to TPS genes were selected for further validation. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that the expression level of LiTPS2 was greater than that of the other two TPS genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that LiTPS2 belonged to the TPSb subfamily, which was responsible for monoterpenes synthesis. Subcellular localization demonstrated that LiTPS2 was expressed in the chloroplasts. Furthermore, functional characterization showed that LiTPS2 utilized both geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP) and farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) to produce monoterpenoids such as linalool and sesquiterpenes like trans-nerolidol. Ectopic expression in transgenic tobacco plants suggested that the amount of linalool from the flowers of transgenic plants was 2–3 fold higher than that of wild-type plants. And the emissions of myrcene and (E)-β-ocimene were also accumulated from the flowers of LiTPS2 transgenic lines. Surprisingly, these three compounds were the main fragrance components of oriental lily hybrids. Our results indicated that LiTPS2 contributed to the production of monoterpenes and could effectively regulate the aroma of Lilium cultivars, laying the foundation for biotechnological modification of floral scent profiles.