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Dynamics of annatto pigment synthesis and accumulation in seeds of Bixa orellana L. revealed by integrated chemical, anatomical, and RNA-Seq analyses

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Abstract

Bixin is a commercially valuable apocarotenoid pigment found in the seed aril of Bixa orellana. The dynamics and regulation of its biosynthesis and accumulation during seed development remain largely unknown. Here, we combined chemical, anatomical, and transcriptomic data to provide stage-specific resolution of the cellular and molecular events occurring during B. orellana seed development. Seeds at five developmental stages (S1–S5) were used for analysis of bixin content and seed anatomy, and three of them (S1, S3, and S4) were selected for Illumina HiSeq sequencing. Bixin accumulated in large quantities in seeds compared with other tissues analyzed, particularly during the S2 stage, peaking at the S4 stage, and then decreasing slightly in the S5 stage. Anatomical analysis revealed that bixin accumulated in the large central vacuole of specialized cells, which were scattered throughout the developing mesotesta at the S2 stage, but enlarged progressively at later stages, until they occupied most of the parenchyma in the aril. A total of 13 million reads were generated and assembled into 73,381 protein-encoding contigs, from which 312 were identified as containing 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate/2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate (DOXP/MEP), carotenoid, and bixin pathways genes. Differential transcriptome expression analysis of these genes revealed that 50 of them were sequentially and differentially expressed through the seed developmental stages analyzed, including seven carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases, eight aldehyde dehydrogenases, and 22 methyltransferases. Taken together, these results show that bixin synthesis and accumulation in seeds of B. orellana are a developmentally regulated process involving the coordinated expression of DOXP/MEP, carotenoid, and bixin biosynthesis genes.

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Data Availability

All data supporting the findings of this study are available within the paper and within its supplementary materials published online. Candidate gene sequences are available at the GenBank database of the NCBI under accession numbers MW885276 to MW885587.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the material and technical support provided by Carlos Priminho Pirovani (Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil). We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for English language editing. We also gratefully acknowledge the PhD scholarship provided by the CAPES Foundation to VSM. WCO and MGCC are CNPq Research Fellows.

Funding

This work was supported by research grants from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Brasília, Brazil (grant number 473619/04–04); Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Brasília, Brazil (grant number 2757/2010); Banco do Nordeste (BNB), Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil (grant number 2004–1-22); Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil (grants numbers APQ-02372–17 and APQ-00772–19); and Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil (grant number 00220.1100.787).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Federal de Educação Ciência E Tecnologia da Bahia, Euclides da Cunha, Bahia, 48500-000, Brazil

    Viviane Santos Moreira

  2. Departamento de Ciências da Computação, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, 36036-900, Brazil

    Vinicius Carius de Souza & Priscila Vanessa Zabala Capriles Goliatt

  3. Centro de Biotecnologia E Genética, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilheus, Bahia, 45662-900, Brazil

    Virgínia Lúcia Fontes Soares, Katiucia Ticila de Souza de Nascimento, Monique Reis de Santana & Marcio Gilberto Cardoso Costa

  4. Centro Multidisciplinar Do Campus Luís Eduardo Magalhães, Universidade Federal Do Oeste da Bahia, Luis Eduardo Magalhães, Bahia, 47850‑000, Brazil

    Aurizangela Oliveira Sousa

  5. Departamento de Fitotecnia E Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual Do Sudoeste da Bahia, Vitoria da Conquista, Bahia, 45083-900, Brazil

    Tiyoko Nair Hojo Rebouças

  6. Departamento de Ciências Naturais, Universidade Estadual Do Sudoeste da Bahia, Vitoria da Conquista, Bahia, 45083-900, Brazil

    Carlos André Espolador Leitão

  7. Departamento de Biologia Vegetal/BIOAGRO, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Vicosa, Minas Gerais, 36570-900, Brazil

    Daniele Vidal Faria & Wagner Campos Otoni

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  1. Viviane Santos Moreira
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Contributions

VSM conducted the experiments. VSM, VLFS, VCS, AOS, KTSN, and MRS analyzed the data. VSM drafted the manuscript. VLFS, PVZCG, TNHR, CAEL, DVF, WCO, and MGCC supported the project and designed the experiments. VLFS, WCO, and MGCC revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Marcio Gilberto Cardoso Costa.

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Moreira, V.S., de Souza, V.C., Soares, V.L.F. et al. Dynamics of annatto pigment synthesis and accumulation in seeds of Bixa orellana L. revealed by integrated chemical, anatomical, and RNA-Seq analyses. Protoplasma 260, 1207–1219 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-023-01842-w

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