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. 2019 Apr 16;8(4):100.
doi: 10.3390/plants8040100.

Differences among the Anthocyanin Accumulation Patterns and Related Gene Expression Levels in Red Pears

Meng Wu  1 , Jianlong Liu  2 , Linyan Song  3 , Xieyu Li  4 , Liu Cong  5 , Rongrong Yue  6 , Chengquan Yang  7 , Zhuo Liu  8 , Lingfei Xu  9 , Zhigang Wang  10
Affiliations

Differences among the Anthocyanin Accumulation Patterns and Related Gene Expression Levels in Red Pears

Meng Wu et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

Differences in coloration exist among red pear cultivars. Here, we selected six red pear cultivars with different genetic backgrounds to elucidate the characteristics of fruit pigmentation. We detected anthocyanin contents and the expression levels of anthocyanin synthesis-related genes in these cultivars at different stages of fruit development. The anthocyanin contents of all six cultivars showed a rise-drop tendency. Principal component and hierarchical cluster analyses were used to distinguish the types of cultivars and the genes crucial to each anthocyanin accumulation pattern. The six cultivars were divided into three groups. Red Zaosu were clustered into one group, Red Sichou and Starkrimson into another group, and Palacer, Red Bartlett, and 5 Hao clustered into a third group. The expression levels of F3H, UFGT2, MYB10, and bHLH3 were similar among the differential coloration patterns of the six cultivars, suggesting a critical and coordinated mechanism for anthocyanin synthesis. Anthocyanin transporters (GST) and light-responsive genes, such as COP1, PIF3.1, and PIF3.2 played limited roles in the regulation of anthocyanin accumulation. This study provides novel insights into the regulation of anthocyanins synthesis and accumulation in red pears.

Keywords: anthocyanin; coloration; gene expression; red pear.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Changes in six red pear cultivars’ skin color and anthocyanin contents at different stages of fruit development. (a) The phenotypes and changes in skin color at different stages of fruit development. (b) The total anthocyanin contents at different stages of fruit development. Data are means ± standard deviations of three biological replicates.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relative expression levels of the anthocyanin biosynthesis-related structural genes of six red pear cultivars at different stages of fruit development.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relative expression levels of the anthocyanin biosynthesis-related transcription factor genes of six red pear cultivars at different stages of fruit development.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Relative expression levels of the anthocyanin biosynthesis-related transporter and light-responsive genes of six red pear cultivars at different stages of fruit development.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Principal component analysis of the skin of six red pears at different stages of fruit development. (a) Discrimination of six cultivars. (b) Loading plots of metabolites and transcripts for the first two principal components (PC1 and PC2).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Dendrogram of the six red pear cultivars derived from the hierarchical cluster analysis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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