ABSTRACT
Mapping and exploiting the tea genome Xinchao Wang, Xinyuan Hao, Lu Wang and Yajun Yang, Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (TRI, CAAS), China
1 Introduction
2 Progress in genetic linkage map construction and qualitative trait locus (QTL) identification for the tea plant
3 The progress of functional genomics in exploiting genes associated with desirable traits
4 Progress in ‘omics’ research: overview and secondary metabolites
5 Progress in ‘omics’ research: stress response and dormancy
6 Conclusion and outlook
7 Where to look for further information
8 Acknowledgements
9 References
The tea plant (Camellia sinensis [L.] O. Kuntze) is a species complex comprising three caffeine-containing taxa, namely, C. ssp. sinensis (‘China type’), C. assamica ssp. assamica (Masters) Wight (‘Assam type’) and C. assamica ssp. lasiocalyx (Planch. ex Wight) Wight (‘Cambod type’). These freely hybridize with each other and with other closely allied but caffeine-free species of Camellia. The tea plant, which is a dicotyledonous, perennial and evergreen woody plant, originated in Southwest China (Yu, 1986). Its tender shoots are processed into different types of tea for drinking and are rich in secondary metabolites such as polyphenols, alkaloids and amino acids. Long-term consumption of tea has been associated with protection against different cancers, cardiovascular diseases, bacterial infections, and obesity as well as improved sleep, relaxation and cognitive performance (Wheeler and Wheeler, 2004; Yang et al., 2007, 2016; Jurado-Coronel et al., 2016; SuzukiSugihara et al., 2016; Turkozu and Sanlier, 2017). Tea has become the most popular nonalcoholic beverage in the world. Secondary metabolites in the tea plant are regulated by various metabolic pathways, and these pathways involve a number of genes composed of complex regulatory networks to determine the contents and components of different metabolites in various cultivars. Hence, understanding the regulation mechanisms of
different metabolic pathways is very useful for breeding new tea plant cultivars with superior health-promoting and functional properties.
