Anthocyanin biosynthesis in sweetpotato: Current status and future perspectives

Abstract

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) is an important source of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and other bioactive metabolites including carotenoids and anthocyanins, therefore has been considered as a functional food. Anthocyanins are a group of water-soluble non-toxic plant pigments with anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-tumor, and anti-mutagenic properties, thus may provide health benefits in preventing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Anthocyanins are found in flowers, vegetables, fruits, and crops with brilliant colors including red, blue, purple or black, and are enriched in some certain fruits, vegetables and crops like blueberries, blackberries, mulberries, black carrots, and purple-flashed sweetpotato. More than 20 anthocyanins have been identified in sweetpotato, the sweetpotato anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway has been revealed, and several different types of transcription factors have been identified as regulators of sweetpotato anthocyanin biosynthesis. The purpose of this review is to overview the research progress of anthocyanin biosynthesis in sweetpotato, with a focus on the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis, and to provide perspectives on future studies including strategies for revealing the regulating mechanisms of anthocyanin biosynthesis in sweetpotato, and for breeding sweetpotato cultivars with enriched bioactive compounds to make it a better functional food for a healthy diet.