Transcriptome Analysis of the Biosynthesis of Anthocyanins in Begonia semperflorens under Low-Temperature and High-Light Conditions

Abstract

Abstract:Anthocyanins are considered a stress indicator due to their involvement in the response to many stresses including high light (HL) and low temperature (LT). With the development of transcriptomics, it is necessary to find the different and common points in the mechanisms of LT-induced and HL-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis. In the present study, we determined the transcriptomes of Begonia semperflorens leaves under three different conditions (normal growing conditions (CK), HL, and LT). To validate the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), we selected four core genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis to perform real-time reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), and then determined anthocyanin content. In total, 94,880 unigenes with a mean length of 635 bp were assembled. The N50 values of the transcripts and unigenes were 2286 bp and 1064 bp, respectively. The functional annotations of the unigenes were analysed against five protein databases. DEGs related to anthocyanin biosynthesis, transportation, and regulation were identified. We also analysed the enrichment pathway, and the differences in mechanisms of anthocyanin induced under low-temperature and high-light conditions are discussed in this paper. This study is the first to examine broad-scale gene expression in Begonia semperflorens. By identifying DEGs regulated by both LT and HL conditions, we found that anthocyanin accumulation was employed as a common strategy by Begonia seedlings in resisting LT and HL stress. By identifying DEGs regulated differently by LT and HL conditions, we found that Begonia seedlings also had some different strategies for resisting LT and HL stresses: anthocyanins were biosynthesized under HL condition, while lignin, proanthocyanidins, and anthocyanins were biosynthesized under LT condition.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Changes in Gene Expression Associated with Anthocyanin Metabolism in Begonia semperflorens under Light Conditions

“…Generally, the structural genes, like CHI, CHS, DFR, and ANS, within the flavonoid metabolic pathway significantly influence the flavonoid content [35,36]. High light is known to induce anthocyanin biosynthesis by up-regulating these structural genes, such as PAL, CHS, F3H, and ANS genes [18]. And our study reveals a novel aspect, where F3 ′ H gene expression was markedly up-regulated with increased light intensity (Table S6 and Figure 7).…”

“…All of the unigenes were aligned to the NR, Swiss-Prot, Horticulturae 2024, 10, 96 5 of 14 KEGG, KOG, eggNOG, GO, and Pfam protein databases. And the results showed that 31,197,24,591,12,096,18,309,30,226,22,489, and 41 unigenes were identified in the NR, Swiss-Prot, KEGG, KOG, eggNOG, GO, and Pfam protein databases, respectively (Table 3). Most unigenes were annotated in NR protein databases, reaching 72.49%.…”

“…Anthocyanins, as significant flavonoid compounds, play a critical role in plant defense mechanisms and adaptability to various environmental stresses [18,34]. The biosynthesis of anthocyanins in B. semperflorens 'Super Olympia' seedlings is induced by low temperatures, alongside the synthesis of lignin [18]. Similarly, anthocyanin content in grapes increases upon infection with Colletotrichum gloeosporioides [34].…”

“…Previous research has demonstrated that lower temperatures increase the anthocyanin content in B. semperflorens seedlings, with reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by BsR-BOHD playing a crucial role in this process [18,19]. Additionally, short day conditions have been identified as essential for anthocyanin biosynthesis in Begonia seedlings under low temperatures [19].…”

Effect of temperature on betacyanins synthesis and the transcriptome of Suaeda salsa

“…Temperature will affect stability of the betacyanins of Monascus ( Abdollahi et al., 2021 ). Low temperature can induce accumulation of anthocyanins in begonia, which has a protective effect against low temperature stress ( Dong et al., 2018 ). Betacyanins have similar functions to anthocyanins, making plants brightly colored.…”