Integrated Analysis of the Metabolome and Transcriptome on Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Four Developmental Stages of Cerasus humilis Peel Coloration

Abstract

Cerasus humilis is a unique dwarf shrub and fruit color is an important trait in the species. In this study, we evaluated the transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles of the plant at different developmental stages to elucidate the mechanism underlying color formation. In a metabolomics analysis, 16 anthocyanin components were identified at four developmental stages, and high levels of cyanidin O-syringic acid and pelargonidin 3-O-beta-d-glucoside (callitephin chloride) were correlated with the reddening of the fruit peel. A co-expression analysis revealed that ANS and UFGT play key roles in pigmentation (PCC > 0.82). Additionally, transcriptome data showed that most anthocyanin biosynthetic genes and two MYB transcription factors were significantly up-regulated. QRT-PCR results for these differentially expressed genes were generally consistent with the high-throughput sequencing. Moreover, the overexpression of ChMYB1 (TRINITY_DN21536_c0_g1) in apple calli could contribute to the accumulation of anthocyanin. It was also found that UFGT (TRINITY_DN19893_c1_g5) and ChMYB1 (TRINITY_DN21536_c0_g1) have similar expression patterns. These findings provide insight into the mechanisms underlying anthocyanin accumulation and coloration during fruit peel development, providing a basis for the breeding of anthocyanin-rich C. humilis cultivars.

Transcription-associated metabolomic profiling reveals the critical role of frost tolerance in wheat

“…The total number of metabolites in plants is as high as 200,000, making them an ideal target for studying biosynthesis regulation [ 68 ]. In recent years, the genetic mechanism of plant metabolite changes has been studied [ 69 , 70 ]. We detected 650 metabolites that could be annotated in MS2 database using the extensive targeted metabolomics method, and the number of detected metabolites was higher than that of previous studies on frost resistance of wheat [ 71 ].…”

Integrated metabolome and transcriptome analysis unveils novel pathway involved in the fruit coloration of Nitraria tangutorum Bobr.

“…Sok . [ 33 ]. Therefore, these results proposed that the difference between red fruit and yellow fruit in N. tangutorum was mainly due to the process catalyzed by UFGT, in another word, stable anthocyanin glycosides cannot be formed in JC so that the yellow fruit of JC fails to show red coloration.…”

Effects of Xinjiang wild cherry plum (Prunus divaricata Ledeb) anthocyanin-rich extract on the plasma metabolome of atherosclerotic apoE-deficient mice fed a high-fat diet

“…Existing experimental evidence supports that anthocyanins and their metabolites are favorable to alleviating atherosclerosis ( 22 ), which is characterized by the occurrence of lipid deposition in medium-large arterial walls mainly resulting from dysfunction in lipid metabolism and chronic inflammation. Recently, studies on anthocyanins of cherries and their related products have been increasing for exploring the color formation and health benefits via multiple omics technologies such as metabolomics and transcriptomics ( 16 ). Nevertheless, results from some anthocyanins-dietary intervention experiments on animal models and human subjects are not consistent.…”

“…It has become a powerful tool for discovering potential biomarkers and exploring molecular mechanisms underlying diseases, with widespread application to nutrition and health ( 15 ). It has been reported that integrating analysis of metabolome and transcriptome was employed to reveal the association between color changes and anthocyanins ( 16 ). Recently, Chen et al ( 17 ) investigated the effects of anthocyanin extracts from bilberry and purple potato on the plasma metabolomic profile of Zucker diabetic fatty rats.…”