Abstract
Carotenoids are natural functional pigments produced by plants and microorganisms and play essential roles in human health. Cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata L.) is an economically important vegetable in terms of production and consumption. It is highly nutritious and contains β-carotene, lutein, and other antioxidant carotenoids. Here, we systematically analyzed carotenoid biosynthetic genes (CBGs) on the whole genome to understand the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway in cabbage. In total, 62 CBGs were identified in the cabbage genome, which are orthologs of 47 CBGs in Arabidopsis thaliana. Out of the 62 CBGs, 46 genes in cabbage were mapped to nine chromosomes. Evolutionary analysis of carotenoid biosynthetic orthologous gene pairs among B. oleracea, B. rapa, and A. thaliana revealed that orthologous genes of B. oleracea underwent a negative selection similar to that of B. rapa. Expression analysis of the CBGs showed functional differentiation of orthologous gene copies in B. oleracea and B. rapa. Exogenous phytohormone treatment suggested that ETH, ABA, and MeJA can promote some important CBGs expression in cabbage. Phylogenetic analysis showed that BoPSYs exhibit high conservatism. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that BoPSYs are located in the chloroplast. This study is the first to study carotenoid biosynthesis genes in cabbage and provides a basis for further research on carotenoid metabolic mechanisms in cabbage.
Highlights
Genes associated with the carotenoid synthesis pathway in A. thaliana were analyzed using KEGG pathway database and TAIR database
A total of 47 genes were implicated in carotenoid biosynthesis in A. thaliana, of which 21 genes were shown to participate in the methylerythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway and 26 gene-encoding carotenoid biosynthetic enzymes (Table 1)
62 carotenoid biosynthetic genes were identified in cabbage
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Capitata L., 2n = 18) is a member of the family. Cruciferae and one of the most economically important vegetable crops cultivated worldwide [1]. Cabbage is rich in dietary fiber, vitamin B1 (VB1), vitamin B (VB2), calcium, and iron. Cabbage contains β-carotene, lutein, and other antioxidant carotenoids. It is one of the best vegetables recommended by the World Health
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
