Calcium Positively Mediates Blue Light-Induced Anthocyanin Accumulation in Hypocotyl of Soybean Sprouts

Abstract

Soybean sprouts are a flavorful microgreen that can be eaten all year round and are widely favored in Southeast Asia. In this study, the regulatory mechanism of calcium on anthocyanin biosynthesis in soybean sprouts under blue light was investigated. The results showed that blue light, with a short wavelength, effectively induced anthocyanin accumulation in the hypocotyl of soybean sprout cultivar “Dongnong 690.” Calcium supplementation further enhanced anthocyanin content, which was obviously inhibited by LaCl3 and neomycin treatment. Moreover, exogenous calcium changed the metabolism of anthocyanins, and seven anthocyanin compounds were detected. The trend of calcium fluorescence intensity in hypocotyl cells, as well as that of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and calmodulin content, was consistent with that of anthocyanins content. Specific spatial distribution patterns of calcium antimonate precipitation were observed in the ultrastructure of hypocotyl cells under different conditions. Furthermore, calcium application upregulated the expression of genes related to anthocyanin biosynthesis, and calcium inhibitors suppressed these genes. Finally, transcriptomics was performed to gain global insights into the molecular regulation mechanism of calcium-associated anthocyanin production. Genes from the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway were distinctly enriched among the differentially expressed genes, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis showed that two MYBs were related to the accumulation of anthocyanins. These results indicated that calcium released from apoplast and intracellular stores in specific spatial-temporal features promote blue light-induced anthocyanin accumulation by upregulation of the expression of genes related to anthocyanin synthesis of “Dongnong 690” hypocotyl. The findings deepen the understanding of the calcium regulation mechanism of blue light-induced anthocyanin accumulation in soybean sprouts, which will help growers produce high-quality foods beneficial for human health.

GmMYB114 Facilitates the Synthesis of Anthocyanins in Soybean Sprouts under Blue Light

“…To investigate the mechanism of blue light regulation of anthocyanin synthesis in soybean sprouts, we analyzed the transcriptome of soybean sprouts under blue light [ 24 ]. We identified a differentially expressed MYB transcription factor, GmMYB114, from the transcriptome ( Figure S2 ).…”

“…Among the environmental factors, light is one of the biggest factors affecting the accumulation of anthocyanins, and most plants require the participation of light to synthesize anthocyanins [ 23 ]. Blue light has been reported to induce the synthesis of anthocyanins in soybean sprouts, but its mechanism still needs further investigation [ 24 , 25 ]. Therefore, this paper identified a potential MYB transcription factor, GmMYB114, that responds to blue light regulation of soybean sprout anthocyanin synthesis by screening the blue light transcriptome and preliminarily exploring its regulation mechanism.…”

De-novo transcriptome assembly and analysis of lettuce plants grown under red, blue or white light

“…The blue light exposed lettuce plants were significantly taller and intense red in color, whereas, red light exposure resulted in green coloured leaves with significantly higher number of leaves per plant compared to the other two counterparts 41 . The accumulation of red color due to the accumulation of anthocyanin in response to exposure to blue light has been reported in Arabidopsis 42 , tomato 43 , pear 44,45 , Brassica napus 46 , lettuce 47 , many plant species [48][49][50][51][52] . A broader time course analysis at various developmental stages of plants following different light exposure would help further understanding of gene regulation linked to pigment accumulation.…”

Transcriptome and Metabolome Analyses Reveal the Mechanism of Corpus Luteum Cyst Formation in Pigs

“…The DESeq2 software [12] was used to analyze the DEGs, and |log2 (fold change)| > l and FDR < 0.05 were used as the screening criteria. The selected DEGs were annotated using the Gene Ontology (GO; http://geneontology.org/, accessed on 5 April 2022) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases (http://www.genome.jp/kegg/, accessed on 5 April 2022).…”