Fig. 4: Metabolism of carotenoids and their derivatives in MeJA-primed fresh tea leaves.

Carotenoids and their derivatives were directly formed from the TP pathway. Differentially expressed enzymes and metabolites included were integrated into pathway-based maps. The five major carotenoids, including α-carotene, β-carotene, lutein, neoxanthin, and zeaxanthin, were identified, and the absolute quantification results are listed in Table 1. ZDS zeta-carotene desaturase, CCD1 carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase, NCED 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase, b-LCY lycopene beta-cyclase, PSY phytoene synthase, ZEP zeaxanthin epoxidase, PDS 15-cis-phytoene desaturase, beta-carotene 3-hydroxylase, LUT5/LUT1 β-carotene hydroxylase, ABA2 xanthoxin dehydrogenase, AAO3 abscisic-aldehyde oxidase