Involvement of Carotenoid Cleavage Dioxygenase 4 Gene in Tepal Color Change in Lilium brownii var. colchesteri

Abstract

Lilium brownii (F. E. Brown) Miellez var. colchesteri E. H. Wilson has a unique characteristic in its flower color, which changes from yellowish-cream to white one day after anthesis. To elucidate the mechanism of flower color change in this species, the content and composition of carotenoids were analyzed during two days of anthesis. The major carotenoids that contributed to the yellowish-cream color of the tepals were lutein, zeaxanthin, and β-carotene. Analysis showed an obvious decrease in total carotenoid content of the tepal, indicating that the flower color change is caused by the reduction of the total carotenoid content after anthesis. To reveal the factor that controls carotenoid content in the tepals, we isolated carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 4 (LbCCD4) gene and analyzed the number of LbCCD4 messages by quantitative real-time PCR. The transcription level of LbCCD4 gene increased and reached the maximum level 12 hours after anthesis. The results suggest that the carotenoids in yellow tepals of L. brownii var. colchesteri degraded into colorless compounds by carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase and subsequently resulted in white flowers.

Contribution made by the carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 4 gene to yellow colour fade in azalea petals

“…The contribution of CCD4 to white petal colour formation, by cleavage of carotenoids into colourless compounds, has also been reported for Chrysanthemum and Lilium brownii var. colchesteri (Hai et al 2012), and for the fruit flesh colour of Prunus persica (Adami et al 2013). In this study, the CCD4 expression level was closely related to the decrease in carotenoid concentration in petals.…”

“…In particular, the contribution of CCD4 to white colour formation in petals by cleaving carotenoids into colourless compounds has been reported for Chrysanthemum and Lilium brownii var. colchesteri (Hai et al 2012).…”

Carotenoid Cleavage Oxygenases from Microbes and Photosynthetic Organisms: Features and Functions

“…In the flower petals of lily ( Lilium brownii var. colchesteri), CCD4 transcript levels are associated with a loss of carotenoid content during anthesis, resulting in flower whitening [156]. In saffron, the expression of CCD4a/b correlates with the production of the nor-isoprenoid β-ionone in flower tissues, while CCD4c is restricted to stigmas and shows a highly regulated expression pattern during flower development [89,130].…”

Molecular Basis of Carotenoid Accumulation in Horticultural Crops

“…The results indicate that carotenoids are synthesized, but are subsequently degraded by CCD4a, which results in the white petal color in chrysanthemum. Involvement of CCD4 in white color formation was also reported in tepals of lily (Hai et al, 2012) and crocus (Rubio-Moraga et al, 2013), and petals of potato (Campbell et al, 2010) and Brassica (Zhang et al, 2015). CCD1 also cleaves carotenoids and contributes to the emission of important fragrance components (β-and α-ionones) in flowers of petunia and Osmanthus fragrans (Baldermann et al, 2010;Simkin et al, 2004).…”