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Transcript profiling of genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis among three carrot cultivars with various taproot colors

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Abstract

Carotenoids are a group of natural pigments that are widely distributed in various plants. Carrots are plants rich in carotenoids and have fleshy roots with different colors. Carotenoid accumulation is a complex regulatory process with important guiding significance for carrot production. In this work, three carrot cultivars with different taproot colors, Hongxinqicun (orange), Benhongjinshi (red), and Tianzi (purple) were chosen as experimental materials to explore the molecular mechanism of carotenoid accumulation in carrot. Results showed that the three carotenoids, namely, α-carotene, β-carotene, and lutein, had accumulated in orange carrot cultivar Hongxinqicun. Lycopene was only detected in the taproots of Benhongjinshi. Lutein was the main carotenoid in Tianzi. Comparison of the carotenoid contents in different tissues of carrot showed that leaf blade was the tissue with the highest carotenoid accumulation. Expression analysis of carotenoid biosynthesis genes and its correlation with carotenoid accumulation confirmed the regulatory role of structural genes in carrots. The high expression of five lycopene synthesis-related genes, DcPSY2, DcPDS, DcZDS1, DcCRT1, DcCRT2, and low expression of DcLCYE may result in the lycopene accumulation in Benhongjinshi. However, the function of certain genes, such as DcPSY1 that was lowly expressed in red carrot, requires further investigation. Our results provided potential insights into the mechanism of carotenoid accumulation in three carrot cultivars with different taproot colors.

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Abbreviations

CRTISO:

Carotenoid isomerase

DAS:

Days after sowing

DMAPP:

Dimethylallyl diphosphate

DW:

Dry weight

GGPP:

Geranylgeranyl diphosphate

GGPS:

Geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase

IPP:

Isopentenyl diphosphate

LCYB:

Lycopene β-cyclase

LCYE:

Lycopene ε-cyclase

MEP:

Methylerythritol 4-phosphate

PDS:

Phytoene desaturase

PSY:

Phytoene synthase

RT-qPCR:

Quantitative real-time PCR

UPLC:

Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography

Z-ISO:

ζ-carotene isomerase

ZDS:

ζ-carotene desaturase

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Funding

The research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (31872098), the Open Fund of the State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University (ZW201905), the New Century Excellent Talents in University (NCET-11-0670), and Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Biology and Germplasm Enhancement of Horticultural Crops in East China, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Nanjing, 210095, China

    Ya-Hui Wang, Tong Li, Rong-Rong Zhang, Ahmed Khadr, Yong-Sheng Tian, Zhi-Sheng Xu & Ai-Sheng Xiong

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  1. Ya-Hui Wang
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  2. Tong Li
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  7. Ai-Sheng Xiong
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Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: ASX, YHW. Performed the experiments: YHW, TL, RRZ, and AK. Analyzed the data: YHW, TL, YST, and ZSX. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: ASX. Wrote the paper: YHW. Revised the paper: ASX. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ai-Sheng Xiong.

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Wang, YH., Li, T., Zhang, RR. et al. Transcript profiling of genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis among three carrot cultivars with various taproot colors. Protoplasma 257, 949–963 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-020-01482-4

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