Comparative analysis of anthocyanin biosynthesis during fruit development in two Lycium species

Abstract

Dietary consumption of functional foods enriched in anthocyanins benefit for human health by protection against far-ranging human diseases. Delphinidin-derived anthocyanins (valuable as blue pigments and antioxidants) are accumulated specifically in the fruits of Lycium ruthenicum but not in the fruits of Lycium barbarum, suggesting the differences of anthocyanin biosynthesis between the two species. In this study, anthocyanin profiling confirmed that anthocyanins were increasingly accumulated during fruit ripening in L. ruthenicum, and sharply increased at full expanded mature fruit, while no anthocyanin were detected at any stage of L. barbarum fruit development. Several genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis were characterized in L. ruthenicum and L. barbarum fruits. Expression profiling of these genes during fruit development showed a significant positive correlation between transcript abundance and anthocyanin accumulation in L. ruthenicum fruit. Meanwhile, transcripts in L. barbarum fruit were either undetectable or were downregulated during fruit ripening, before increasing slightly in the final stages of maturation. In addition, the ratio of LrF3'5H/LrF3'H transcription showed a gradual increase before 6 days after breaker (DAB) and a sharp enhancement at 10 DAB. Our results suggest that the expression patterns of both regulatory and structural genes and the transcriptional ratio of branch-node structural genes F3'5'H/F3'H may determine the phenotypic difference in anthocyanin biosynthesis between L. ruthenicum and L. barbarum fruits.

Lycium Barbarum and Human Health

“…The highest content of carotenoids in ripen red berry is zeaxanthin dipalmitate which counts for 75 % of total carotenoids (508.90 μg g − 1 fresh weight (FW) in ripen fresh fruit) . Consistent with this, anthocyanin content in L. ruthenicum increased steadily and reached maximum levels (10.37 OD 534 /g) at the ripening stage, while anthocyanin was undetectable at all stages in L. barbarum fruits (Zeng et al 2014). The zeaxanthin and β-Cryptoxanthin are undetectable both in green and ripen fruits of L. ruthenicum ).…”

“…Twelve carotenoids and their esters were identified in the genus Lycium (Table 1.2.). As to the black color in ripen fruits of L. ruthenicum, ten anthocyanins were identified using HPLC-DAD-MS/MS (Zheng et al 2011), with the highest content of pentunidin-3-O-rutinoside (trans-p-coumaroyl)-5-O-glucoside which counts 95 % of total flavonoids (Zeng et al 2014). Although there is very low level of total carotenoid (34.46 μg g − 1 FW), with 18.01μg g − 1 FW of β-carotene, in green fruits of L. ruthenicum, the content of total carotenoid in ripen black berry is undetectable .…”

Transcriptomics and Metabolite Analysis Reveals the Molecular Mechanism of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis Branch Pathway in Different Senecio cruentus Cultivars

“…In Vitis vinifera (grape berries), violet/blue cultivars produce more Dp derivatives and have a higher ratio of F3′5′H / F3′H transcription than the red cultivars (Castellarin et al, 2006). In Lycium ruthenicum , the difference in the bioactivity of the enzymes encoded by F3′H and F3′5′H likely plays a decisive role in directing the Cy and Dp flux (Zeng et al, 2014). …”

Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of Lycium ruthenicum and Lycium barbarum fruits during ripening

“…As it was difficult to disentangle genetic from environmental variables, and anthropogenic from non-anthropogenic variables in our study, we limited the discussion of our results to the most highly pronounced transcriptomic and metabolomic differences between the two species. Previous studies found indications that L. ruthenicum may exhibit higher resistance to abiotic (such as high soil salinity and drought) than L. barbarum 3,4,6,9,11 and that berries of L. ruthenicum may have much greater medicinal value than berries of L. barbarum 2,3 . Although we can tentatively conclude only that our results are in agreement with these indications, it will be necessary to corroborate our comparative analyses results in future studies with different experimental setups before any conclusions about genetic and metabolic adaptations of these two…”