Multifaceted roles of LhWRKY44 in promoting anthocyanin accumulation in Asiatic hybrid lilies ( Lilium spp.)

Camellia nitidissima is famous for its golden flowers. Its flowers are rich in secondary metabolites, and they have ornamental, medicinal, and edible value. Pigment composition and regulation has been studied in the golden petals, but there has been little research on pigment composition or the molecular mechanism underlying yellow stamens in C. nitidissima. To explore the molecular mechanism of yellow stamen formation, three developmental stages (S0, S1, and S2) were used for transcriptome and pigment analyses. Pigment analysis showed that the flavonoid content increased sharply from the S0 to S1 stage and decreased from the S1 to S2 stage, and the carotenoid content increased sharply during yellow stamen formation (from the S1 to S2 stage). RNA-seq analysis showed that a total of 20,483 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. KEGG and heatmap analyses showed that flavonoid and carotenoid biosynthesis pathways were enriched, and we identified 14 structural genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis and 13 genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis and degradation. In addition, the expression of carotenoid- and flavonoid-related genes was consistent with carotenoid and flavonoid content. In addition, correlation network analysis indicated that the WARYK, MYB, bHLH, and AP2/ERF transcription factor families were screened for involvement in the biosynthesis of flavonoids and carotenoids. In this study, we describe the pathway associated with color formation in the stamens of C. nitidissima.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transcriptome and Pigment Analyses Provide Insights into Carotenoids and Flavonoids Biosynthesis in Camellia nitidissima Stamens

Feng,

Zhao,

et al. 2024

“…In addition to the well-known MYB-bHLH-WD40 complex, recent studies have published many other transcription factors involved in the anthocyanin biosynthesis, such as the AP2/ERFs in pear, eggplant and strawberry [45][46][47], the WRKYs in apple, Lilium and Malus [48][49][50], as well as the NACs in litchi, peach and apples [51][52][53]. The anthocyanins in F. hybrida showed tissue specificity between the sepals and petals, and we also found that many TFs, like AP2/ERFs, WRKYs and NACs, were differentially expressed (Figure S1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Targeted Metabolome and Transcriptome Analyses Reveal the Molecular Mechanism of Color Variation between Sepals and Petals in Fuchsia hybrida

Lei,

Li,

Wang

et al. 2023

The sepal color of Fuchsia hybrida is colorful instead of green and usually varies from the petal colors, which greatly increases its ornamental value and attract customers’ preference. However, the potential molecular mechanism underlying the color variation between sepals and petals remains unclear. The present study collected F. hybrida with red sepals and purple petals to explore the key pigments and genes involved in color development using a targeted metabolome and transcriptome. A total of 43 metabolites with diverse hydroxylation, glycosylation, methylation and acylation patterns were isolated and identified by UPLC-MS/MS. The quantification analysis showed that peonidin-3,5-O-diglucoside and malvidin-3,5-O-diglucoside were the most abundant anthocyanins accumulating in the sepals and petals, respectively. Then, six libraries from the sepals and petals were constructed for the transcriptome and 70,135 unigenes were generated. The transcript level of FhF3′H was significantly higher in the sepals, while Fh3′5′H showed more abundant expression in the petals, which can account for the abundant peonidin and malvidin accumulation in the sepals and petals, respectively. The subsequent multiomics analysis showed that both the differentially accumulated anthocyanins and expressed unigenes were enriched in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway. Additionally, FhMYBs potentially regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis were screened out by correlation analysis and protein interaction prediction. These findings help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the color variation between the sepals and petals in F. hybrida.

“…All of the unigenes were aligned to the NR, Swiss-Prot, Horticulturae 2024, 10, 96 5 of 14 KEGG, KOG, eggNOG, GO, and Pfam protein databases. And the results showed that 31,197,24,591,12,096,18,309,30,226,22,489, and 41 unigenes were identified in the NR, Swiss-Prot, KEGG, KOG, eggNOG, GO, and Pfam protein databases, respectively (Table 3). Most unigenes were annotated in NR protein databases, reaching 72.49%.…”

Section: Transcriptome Functional Annotationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the Asiatic hybrid lily (Lilium spp. ), LhWRKY44 is implicated in light-and drought-induced anthocyanin synthesis [12]. Furthermore, a model of light-regulated anthocyanin biosynthesis in rose petals included a network of genes, such as HY5 (ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5), MYB114a, bHLH3, CHS, and F3 ′ H [42].…”

Section: High Light Affects the Expression Of Transcription Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anthocyanins, a subset of flavonoids, are water-soluble pigments responsible for vibrant hues, ranging from orange to blue in leaves, flowers, and fruits [4,11]. These compounds serve as vital secondary metabolites, imparting color to plant tissues and protecting against the oxidative stress caused by environmental factors, such as salinity, low temperature, drought, and high light [12]. They also safeguard against ultraviolet radiation and help prevent oxidative damage to DNA [7,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Changes in Gene Expression Associated with Anthocyanin Metabolism in Begonia semperflorens under Light Conditions

Zhao,

Liu,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Anthocyanins, recognized as stress indicators, particularly under high-light conditions, play a pivotal role in plant stress responses. The advent of transcriptomics has opened avenues to elucidate the mechanisms underlying high light-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis. This study delved into transcriptomic changes in Begonia semperflorens leaves under varying light intensities: 950–9600 lx (TL_100), 6800–7000 lx (HS_75), and 4300–4500 lx (LS_25). To confirm the expression profiles of the key genes, we chose 12 critical genes associated with anthocyanin production for quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-qPCR) analysis. Following this, we measured the levels of anthocyanins to substantiate the findings from the gene expression analysis. The transcriptome assembly in this study was extensive, yielding 43,038 unigenes that collectively spanned about 49.83 million base pairs, with an average unigene length of 1157 bp and an N50 value of 1685 bp. This assembly facilitated a thorough functional annotation across seven distinct protein databases, leading to the classification of 16,363 unigenes into 58 different families of transcription factors. Our comparative analysis of the transcriptomes highlighted a substantial number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs): 5411 DEGs between HS_75 and TL_100 conditions, with 3078 showing increased expression and 2333 showing decreased expression; 4701 DEGs between LS_25 and TL_100, consisting of 2648 up-regulated and 2053 down-regulated genes; and 6558 DEGs between LS_25 and HS_75, with 3032 genes up-regulated and 3526 down-regulated. These DEGs were significantly involved in critical pathways, such as anthocyanin synthesis, plant hormone signaling, and other regulatory mechanisms. This study suggests that genes, including F3′H, MYB102, and SWEET1, could play vital roles in regulating anthocyanin synthesis in response to various light conditions, potentially impacting the expression levels of other genes, like WRKYs, ATHB12, and those similar to HSP.