Modification of anthocyanin plays an important role in increasing its stability in plants. Here, six anthocyanins were identified in peach (Prunus persica), and their structural diversity is attributed to glycosylation and methylation. Interestingly, peach is quite similar to the wild species Prunus ferganensis but differs from both Prunus davidiana and Prunus kansueasis in terms of anthocyanin composition in flowers. This indicates that peach is probably domesticated from P. ferganensis. Subsequently, genes responsible for both methylation and glycosylation of anthocyanins were identified, and their spatiotemporal expression results in different patterns of anthocyanin accumulation in flowers, leaves, and fruits. Two tandem-duplicated genes encoding flavonoid 3-O-glycosyltransferase (F3GT) in peach, PpUGT78A1 and PpUGT78A2, showed different activity toward anthocyanin, providing an example of divergent evolution of F3GT genes in plants. Two genes encoding anthocyanin O-methyltransferase (AOMT), PpAOMT1 and PpAOMT2, are expressed in leaves and flowers, but only PpAOMT2 is responsible for the O-methylation of anthocyanins at the 39 position in peach. In addition, our study reveals a novel branch of UGT78 genes in plants that lack the highly conserved intron 2 of the UGT gene family, with a great variation of the amino acid residue at position 22 of the plant secondary product glycosyltransferase box. Our results not only provide insights into the mechanisms underlying anthocyanin glycosylation and methylation in peach but will also aid in future attempts to manipulate flavonoid biosynthesis in peach as well as in other plants.
A gene encoding aluminum‐activated malate transporter (ALMT) was previously reported as a candidate for the Ma locus controlling acidity in apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.). In this study, we found that apple ALMT genes can be divided into three families and the Ma1 gene belongs to the ALMTII family. Duplication of ALMTII genes in apple is related to the polyploid origin of the apple genome. Divergence in expression has occurred between the Ma1 gene and its homologs in the ALMTII family and only the Ma1 gene is significantly associated with malic acid content. The Ma locus consists of two alleles, Ma1 and ma1. Ma1 resides in the tonoplast and its ectopic expression in yeast was found to increase the influx of malic acid into yeast cells significantly, suggesting it may function as a vacuolar malate channel. In contrast, ma1 encodes a truncated protein because of a single nucleotide substitution of G with A in the last exon. As this truncated protein resides within the cell membrane, it is deemed to be nonfunctional as a vacuolar malate channel. The frequency of the Ma1Ma1 genotype is very low in apple cultivars but is high in wild relatives, which suggests that apple domestication may be accompanied by selection for the Ma1 gene. In addition, variations in the malic acid content of mature fruits were also observed between accessions with the same genotype in the Ma locus. This suggests that the Ma gene is not the only genetic determinant of fruit acidity in apple.
HighlightAn anthocyanin transporter gene that contains a high frequency of non-transposable element-related mutations is responsible for variegated colouration of flowers in peach.
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