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

Abstract

IntroductionBlueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is a popular fruit with an abundance of anthocyanins in its leaves and fruits. Light is one of the pivotal environmental elements that affects plant growth and development, but the regulatory mechanism between light quality and anthocyanin formation is poorly understood.MethodsAn integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis was performed to investigate the effects of white (control), blue (B), red (R), and red/blue (60R/40B) light on blueberry growth and reveal the potential pathway controlling anthocyanin biosynthesis in blueberry leaves.ResultsThe anthocyanin content was significantly improved by the blue and red/blue light when compared with white light, whereas there was a significant reduction in the photosynthesis under the blue light, showing an inverse trend to that of anthocyanin accumulation. Transcriptomic analysis resulted in the assembly of 134,709 unigenes. Of these, 22 were differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that participate in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway, with the majority being significantly up-regulated under the blue light. Most of the photosynthesis-related genes that were down-regulated were expressed during anthocyanin accumulation. Targeted metabolome profiling identified 44 metabolites associated with anthocyanin biosynthesis. The contents of most of these metabolites were higher under blue light than the other light conditions, which was consistent with the transcriptome results. The integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis suggested that, under blue light, leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase (LDOX), O-methyltransferase (OMT), and UDP-glucose flavonoid glucosyltransferase (UFGT) were the most significantly expressed, and they promoted the synthesis of cyanidin (Cy), malvidin (Mv), and pelargonidin (Pg) anthocyanidins, respectively. The expression levels of dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) and OMT, as well as the accumulation of delphinidin (Dp), peonidin (Pn), and petunidin (Pt), were significantly increased by the red/blue light.DiscussionThe blue and red/blue lights promoted anthocyanin biosynthesis via inducing the expression of key structural genes and accumulation of metabolites involved in anthocyanin synthesis pathway. Moreover, there was a possible feedback regulating correlation between anthocyanin biosynthesis and photosynthesis under different light qualities in blueberry leaves. This study would provide a theoretical basis for elucidating the underlying regulatory mechanism of anthocyanin biosynthesis of V. corymbosum.

Comprehensive insights into herbicide resistance mechanisms in weeds: a synergistic integration of transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses

“…In another study conducted by Zhang et al., the authors had successfully identified key structural genes responsible for anthocyanin biosynthesis mechanisms in Vaccinium corymbosum L. using integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis. They had also used Pearson correlation coefficient values for screening out the genes of interest ( Zhang et al., 2022b ). In the context of herbicide resistance mechanism discovery, these tools can be used to assess how changes in gene expression levels correspond to variations in metabolite abundances, and vice versa.…”

Genome-Wide Identification of Bilberry WRKY Transcription Factors: Go Wild and Duplicate

“…The unrooted phylogenetic tree of 69 VmWRKY protein sequences (Figure 1A) displays their relationships, forming eight subgroups (I, IIa, IIb, IIc, IId, IIe, III, and IV). The largest subgroups are group I (14 members) and group IIc ( 14), followed by group III (12), group IIe (10), group IIb (9), group IId (4), group IIa (4), and group IV (2). In group IV, the protein sequences contain the conserved WRKY domain but lack the zinc finger motif.…”

“…In addition, there has been an increased interest in the Vaccinium genus, and as a result, genomic and transcriptomic resources for this genus have been developed. However, Plants 2023, 12, 3176 2 of 20 despite this progress, there is still incomplete genome assembly and annotation data, as is the case of blueberries (V. corymbosum) [7]. On the other hand, efforts to understand the genomic regions that control the anthocyanin composition of the berry have led to the generation of the complete genome, as is the case with bilberry (V. myrtillus) [4].…”

“…In blueberry, the light intensity regulation of anthocyanin accumulation represents a valuable data set to guide future functional and crop improvement studies [ 11 ]. In bilberry, it was demonstrated that blue and red/blue lights have the ability to promote anthocyanin biosynthesis by inducing the expression of key structural genes and accumulation of metabolites involved in the anthocyanin synthesis pathway, as well as the relationship between photosynthesis under different light qualities in blueberry leaves [ 12 ]. Several regulatory genes, including WRKY family TFs, have been proposed to control fruit development and ripening processes, as well as their relationship with responses to various stresses [ 13 , 14 ].…”

Transcriptome-Based Identification of Candidate Flowering-Associated Genes of Blueberry in a Plant Factory with Artificial Lighting (PFAL) under Short-Day-Length Conditions

“…Transcriptome analysis is a powerful tool to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and regulatory networks involved in complex biological processes. RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology has been successfully applied in blueberry to identify candidate genes or transcripts involving multiple specific traits, such as flowering [ 30 , 33 ], adventitious root formation [ 34 ], anthocyanin accumulation [ 35 , 36 ], flavonoid biosynthetic pathway [ 37 ], and fruit development [ 38 , 39 ]. Therefore, to better understand the process of flower bud development, the effects of SD length and chilling on flower bud initiation of blueberry in a PFAL system were surveyed in this study, and transcriptomic analysis was carried out to identify the key candidate flowering genes.…”