Visible light regulates anthocyanin synthesis via malate dehydrogenases and the ethylene signaling pathway in plum (Prunus salicina L.)

Abstract

Light regulates anthocyanins synthesis in plants. Upon exposure to visible light, the inhibition of photosynthetic electron transfer significantly lowered the contents of anthocyanins and the expression levels of key genes involved in anthocyanins synthesis in plum fruit peel. Meanwhile, the expression levels of PsmMDH2 (encoding the malate dehydrogenase in mitochondria) and PschMDH (encoding the malate dehydrogenase in chloroplasts) decreased significantly. The contents of anthocyanins and the levels of the key genes involved in anthocyanin synthesis decreased significantly with the treatment of 1-MCP (an inhibitor of ethylene perception) but were enhanced by the exogenous application of ethylene. The ethylene treatment could also recover the anthocyanin synthesis capacity lowered by the photosynthetic electron transfer inhibition. Silencing PsmMDH2 and PschMDH significantly lowered the contents of anthocyanins in plum fruit. At low temperature, visible light irradiation induced anthocyanin accumulation in Arabidopsis leaves. However, the mmdh, chmdh, and etr1-1 mutants had significantly lower anthocyanins content and expressions of the key genes involved in anthocyanins synthesis compared to wild type. Overall, the present study demonstrates that both photosynthesis and respiration were involved in the regulation of anthocyanin synthesis in visible light. The visible light regulates anthocyanin synthesis by controlling the malate metabolism via MDHs and the ethylene signaling pathway. 1 | INTRODUCTION Anthocyanins are a group of water-soluble flavonoids and exist in various tissues of plants and make them appear red, blue, and purple colors. Anthocyanins can attenuate light to protect plants from photoinhibition/photodamage (Li et al.

Ethylene Inhibits Anthocyanin Biosynthesis by Repressing the R2R3-MYB Regulator SlAN2-like in Tomato

“…For example, exogenous ethylene increases anthocyanin accumulation in grape berries by up-regulating the expression of anthocyanin structural genes [ 19 ]. Similar results are reported in plum [ 20 , 21 ], apple [ 22 ], and strawberry [ 23 ]. In apple, two ethylene response factors, MdERF1B and MdERF3, are key positive regulators of anthocyanin biosynthesis in response to ethylene signals [ 24 ].…”

“…In many fruit tree crops, fruit ripening is usually accompanied by anthocyanin accumulation, and ethylene is considered an anthocyanin activator in plants. Several studies have confirmed that ethylene induces red/purple coloration by activating anthocyanin production in apple, plum, grape, and strawberry [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 51 ]. However, ethylene inhibited anthocyanin accumulation in Arabidopsis [ 26 ], pear [ 27 ], and immature fruits of Fragaria chiloensis [ 52 ].…”

Integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis reveals the anthocyanin biosynthesis mechanisms in blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) leaves under different light qualities

“…During the development of green tissues (such as leaves, flower buds, and stems) and tissue-cultured cells, light promotes the accumulation of anthocyanins by activating gene transcript levels related to anthocyanin metabolic pathways ( Uleberg et al., 2012 ; Zhang et al., 2021a ). In the early stages of anthocyanin synthesis, the expression patterns of related genes can be regulated by different light qualities and intensities, and this expression pattern is dramatically changed and accompanied by distinct species.…”

Physiological adaptations of the Japanese plum tree for agricultural productivity: A promising crop for high altitude tropics

“…Likewise, the high UV radiation to which deciduous fruit trees are subjected can influence the physiology of the plant. Positively, visible and UV light regulate anthocyanin synthesis in Japanese plums in the photosynthesis-respiration interaction by controlling malate metabolism through malate dehydrogenase and the ethylene ATP signaling pathway (Zhang et al, 2021). Adversely, the high UV radiation in the tropical highlands causes sunburn on the fruits, which greatly affects the marketability of the fruit and, therefore, the productivity of the crop (Fischer, Orduz-Rodríguez et al, 2022).…”