Abstract
Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes L.) is an important vegetable of the Brassicaceae family. The main edible part of kohlrabi is the swollen stem. The purple cultivars make anthocyanin mainly in the peel of the swollen stem, while in the leaf, it is limited to the midrib, but green cultivars do not. Anthocyanins are advantageous for both plants as well as humans. Two anthocyanin compounds were detected by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) only in the peel of the purple kohlrabi cultivar. Three MYBs, three bHLHs, and one WD40 TF were identified as the candidate regulatory genes in kohlrabi. There was an abundance of transcript levels for the late biosynthetic genes more specifically for BoF3′H, BoDFR, BoLDOX, and BoGST in the purple peel while scarcely detectable in other tissues for both cultivars. The expression of BoPAP2 and BoTT8 was higher in the peel of the purple cultivar than the green cultivar. The expression of BoMYBL2.2 orthologue of Arabidopsis MYBL2, a negative regulator of anthocyanins, was dramatically decreased in the purple peel. The expression of BoACO1, a key gene for ethylene biosynthesis, and BoNCED3, an important gene of the ABA pathway, was down- and upregulated, respectively, in the peel of purple kohlrabi.
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Abbreviations
- AAO3 :
-
arabidopsis aldehyde oxidase 3
- ABA :
-
abscisic acid
- ACO1 :
-
aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylateoxidase 1
- bHLH :
-
basic helix-loop-helix
- CHI :
-
chalcone isomerase
- CHS :
-
chalcone synthase
- DFR :
-
dihydroflavonol 4-reductase
- EGL3 :
-
enhancer of glabra3
- ERS :
-
ethylene response sensor
- ETR :
-
ethylene receptor
- F3H :
-
flavanone 3-hydroxylase
- F3′H :
-
flavonoid 3′-hydroxylase
- GL3 :
-
glabra3
- GST :
-
glutathione S-transferase
- HPLC :
-
high pressure liquid chromatography
- LDOX :
-
leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase
- NCED3 :
-
9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase 3
- PAP1 :
-
production of anthocyanin pigment 1
- PAP2 :
-
production of anthocyanin pigment 1
- qRT-PCR :
-
quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
- TF :
-
transcription factor
- TT8 :
-
transparent testa8
- TTG1 :
-
transparent testa glabra 1
- UFGT :
-
UDP-flavonoid glucosyl transferase.
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This research work was financially supported by the Golden Seed Project (Center for Horticultural Seed Development, Grant no. 213007-05-1-CG100) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural affairs in the Republic of Korea (MAFRA).
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Rahim, M.A., Robin, A.H.K., Natarajan, S. et al. Identification and Characterization of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis-Related Genes in Kohlrabi. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 184, 1120–1141 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-017-2613-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-017-2613-2