Transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis provides insights into anthocyanin and procyanidin accumulation in pear

Abstract

Background: Pear is one of the most important fruit crops worldwide. Anthocyanins and procyanidins (PAs) are important secondary metabolites that affect the appearance and nutritive quality of pear. However, few studies have focused on the molecular mechanism underlying anthocyanin and PA accumulation in pear. Results: We conducted metabolome and transcriptome analyses to identify candidate genes involved in anthocyanin and PA accumulation in young fruits of the pear cultivar 'Clapp Favorite' (CF) and its red mutation cultivar 'Red Clapp Favorite' (RCF). Gene-metabolite correlation analyses revealed a 'core set' of 20 genes that were strongly correlated with 10 anthocyanin and seven PA metabolites. Of these, PcGSTF12 was confirmed to be involved in anthocyanin and PA accumulation by complementation of the tt19-7 Arabidopsis mutant. Interestingly, PcGSTF12 was found to be responsible for the accumulation of procyanidin A3, but not petunidin 3, 5-diglucoside, opposite to the function of AtGSTs in Arabidopsis. Transformation with PcGSTF12 greatly promoted or repressed genes involved in anthocyanin and PA biosynthesis, regulation, and transport. Electrophoretic mobility shift and luciferase reporter assays confirmed positive regulation of PcGSTF12 by PcMYB114. Conclusion: These findings identify a core set of genes for anthocyanin and PA accumulation in pear. Of these, PcGSTF12, was confirmed to be involved in anthocyanin and PA accumulation. Our results also identified an important anthocyanin and PA regulation node comprising two core genes, PcGSTF12 and PcMYB114. These results provide novel insights into anthocyanin and PA accumulation in pear and represent a valuable data set to guide future functional studies and pear breeding.

Dynamic transcriptome and metabolome analyses of two types of rice during the seed germination and young seedling growth stages

“…However, from another perspective, it is because of the great difference in the material background that we can obtain more, and more valuable target genes and metabolites. This conclusion is backed up by many studies [ 49 – 52 ]. As far as our results are concerned, I think the DEMs and DEGs that we have screened for are fairly reliable.…”

Comprehensive Analysis of Transcriptome and Metabolome Reveals the Flavonoid Metabolic Pathway Is Associated with Fruit Peel Coloration of Melon

“…Plant metabolomic analysis enables us to study the relationship between metabolites produced by biological processes and plant characteristics [ 21 ]. Flavonoids are vital pigments for regulating the rind color of many fruits [ 11 , 19 , 22 ]. There are six main types of flavonoids in plant tissues: flavones, isoflavones, flavonols, flavanones, flavanols, and anthocyanins.…”

“…Another important study in strawberry identified three genes, chalcone synthase ( CHS ), dihydroflavonol reductase ( DFR ), and flavonol 3- O -glucosyltransferase ( F3H ), as well as three anthocyanin metabolites, cyanidin 3- O -glucoside chloride, cyanidin 3-galactoside, and cyanidin 3-glucoside, that are involved in the red fruit color [ 10 ]. Combining transcriptome and metabolome approaches, Zhang et al [ 11 ] revealed that the red mutation cultivar ‘Red Clapp Favorite’ of pear was caused by the PcGSTF12, which was involved in anthocyanin and procyanidin accumulation. Recently, γ-carotene, CRTISO , and ε-LCY were identified as candidates involved in the orange pigmentation in Liriodendron tulipifera [ 12 ].…”

Advances in Biosynthesis and Biological Functions of Proanthocyanidins in Horticultural Plants

“…In addition, heterologous expression of pear PcGSTF12 in the Arabidopsis tt19 mutant showed that PcGSTF12 did not complement the mutant seed color to the normal brown, but it promoted the procyanidin A3 accumulation in the mutant and affected the transcription of PAs-and anthocyanin-related genes. The results of this study indicated that PcGSTF12 may be involved in the transport and accumulation of PAs and anthocyanins [79].…”