Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Uncovers the Regulatory Roles of MicroRNAs Involved in Petal Color Change of Pink-Flowered Strawberry

Abstract

The pink-flowered strawberry is popular in China due to its high ornamental value. In the present study, sRNAome, transcriptome, and degradome sequencing were performed to understand the functions of microRNAs (miRNAs) and their target genes during flower development in pink-flowered strawberry. Nine small RNA libraries and a mixed degradome library from flower petals at different developmental stages were constructed and sequenced. A total of 739 known miRNAs and 964 novel miRNAs were identified via small RNA sequencing, and 639 miRNAs were identified to cleave 2,816 target genes based on the degradome data. Additionally, 317 differentially expressed miRNAs among the various stages of flower development were identified, which regulated 2,134 differentially expressed target genes. These target genes were significantly enriched in the transcriptional regulation, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and plant hormone signal transduction pathways. Furthermore, integrated microRNAomic and transcriptomic analyses suggested that 98 miRNAs targeted several transcription factors, including MYBs (26), bHLHs (12), NACs (14), and SPLs (19), related to anthocyanin accumulation. In addition, 27 differentially expressed miRNAs might affect anthocyanin biosynthesis by regulating 23 targets involved in the hormone signal transduction pathway. The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis confirmed the expression changes of 21 miRNA-target pairs. Furthermore, the transient expression of candidate miRNAs was performed in the pink-flowered strawberry cultivar “Fenyun” at the bud stage. Introduction of FamiR156a, FamiR396e, and FamiR858_R-2 in the “Fenyun” increased flower color intensity, while transient expression of FamiR828a decreased flower color intensity. Overall, the present study uncovers the regulatory functions of microRNAs, including anthocyanin biosynthesis, hormone signaling, and regulation factors during flower development and coloration in pink-flowered strawberry. This work expands the knowledge of miRNAs affecting coloration in strawberry and provides rich resources for future functional studies.

Multi-Omics Analysis Revealed the AGR-FC.C3 Locus of Brassica napus as a Novel Candidate for Controlling Petal Color

“…The microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in plant growth, development, and response to stress [ 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 ]. It is indicated that miRNAs are also associated with petal color formation [ 53 , 54 ]. In the petals of strawberry ( Fragaria × ananassa ), it was found that the FamiRNA828a and FamiRNA858_R-2 were targeted by FaMYB114 and FaMYB308 , respectively.…”

“…In the petals of strawberry ( Fragaria × ananassa ), it was found that the FamiRNA828a and FamiRNA858_R-2 were targeted by FaMYB114 and FaMYB308 , respectively. For flower color intensity, this suggested that FamiR828a is negatively correlated with anthocyanin accumulation in pink-flowered strawberry petals [ 53 ]. It was also found that the mcr-miR858-MYB1/MYB5 and mcr-miR396- McCHI were involved in inhibiting anthocyanin synthesis in Malus crabapple [ 54 ].…”

Regulatory Mechanism of Proanthocyanidins in Grape Peels Using vvi-miR828a and Its Target Gene VvMYBPA1

“…The over expression of miR828 in Arabidopsis showed light-colored leaf types, consistent with the phenotype of grape berries in controls, suggesting that miR828 acts as a repressor of anthocyanin biosynthesis [ 38 ]. A recent report stated that miR828 inhibits the intensity of petal color during the growth and development of pink strawberries [ 44 ]. Our results indicated that miR828 may be involved in the regulation of PA biosynthesis ( Figure 4 and Figure 6 ).…”

Home food gardening in modern cities: advances, issues, and future perspectives

“…Actually, there is an immense market potential for ornamental strawberries in the post-epidemic era (Guan et al, 2023). With a history of over 60 year efforts in modern ornamental strawberry breeding, breeders have successfully developed a broad assortment of pink-flowered and red-flowered strawberry cultivars with independent intellectual property rights (Mabberley, 2002;Khanizadeh et al, 2010;Xue et al, 2015;Ding et al, 2019;Bentvelsen and Vange, 2021;Yue et al, 2022;Guan et al, 2023). For instance, ABZ Seeds, a Dutch breeding company dedicated to the development of F1 hybrid seed-propagated strawberry cultivars, has delved into ornamental strawberry breeding and released a series of superior ornamental strawberry varieties full of aesthetic morphological attributes, such as "Summer Breeze Cherry Blossom", "Summer Breeze Rose", "Gasana" and "Toscana" in the market (Bentvelsen and Bouw, 2006;Bentvelsen and Vange, 2021).…”