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Isolation and expression analysis of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in Morus alba L.

  • Original Papers
  • Published:
Biologia Plantarum

Abstract

Anthocyanins from mulberry fruits are used in medicine. However, little anthocyanin can be detected in other tissues and sometimes also mulberry fruits are colorless. The aim of this study was to investigate which gene or genes have the strongest correlation with the anthocyanin biosynthesis. The expression of several anthocyanin synthesis genes were determined in different tissues of two white and two purple fruit cultivars. Genes encoding dihydroflavonol reductase (MaDFR) and anthocyanidin synthase (MaANS) showed a high expression only in fruit tissue of purple-fruit cultivars. During the development of mulberry fruits, the anthocyanin content was well correlated with the transcripts abundance of MaDFR, MaANS, and MaCHS (encoding chalcone synthase). The skin of female mulberry flowers turns red under irradiance because of up-regulated expressions of MaCHS, MaDFR, and MaANS. These three genes may control the anthocyanin biosynthesis in mulberry and up-regulation of them may greatly increase the anthocyanin content.

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Abbreviations

ANS:

anthocyanidin synthase

C4H:

cinnamate-4-hydroxylase

CHI:

chalcone isomerase

CHS:

chalcone synthase

4CL:

4-coumarate: CoA ligase

DFR:

dihydroflavonol reductase

F3′H:

flavanone-3′-hydroxylase

PAL:

phenylalanine ammonia lyase

UFGT:

UDP-glucose: flavonoid 3-glucosyltransferase

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, 400715, Chongqing, P.R. China

    J. Li, R. -H. Lü, A. -C. Zhao, X. -L. Wang, C. -Y. Liu, Q. -Y. Zhang, X. -H. Wang, D. Umuhoza, C. Lu, Z. -G. Li & M. -D. Yu

  2. Guiyang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550002, P.R. China

    J. Li

  3. College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, 400715, Chongqing, P.R. China

    X. -Y. Jin

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  1. J. Li
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  2. R. -H. Lü
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Correspondence to M. -D. Yu.

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Acknowledgments: We thank Dr. Li Xu for kindly providing technical assistance with the HPLC. This work was supported by grants from the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (XDJK2013D020), the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest of China (No. 201403064), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31360190), the Modern Agroindustry Technology Research System (No. CARS-22).

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Li, J., Lü, R.H., Zhao, A.C. et al. Isolation and expression analysis of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in Morus alba L.. Biol Plant 58, 618–626 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-014-0450-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-014-0450-5

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