Abstract

Wufanshu (Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb.), which is a wild member of the genus Vaccinium, accumulates high concentration of anthocyanin in its berries. In this study, the accumulated anthocyanins and their derivatives in Wufanshu berries were identified through UHPLC–MS/MS analysis. Candidate anthocyanin biosynthetic genes were identified from the transcriptome of Wufanshu berries. qRT-PCR analyses showed that the expression of anthocyanin structural genes correlated with anthocyanin accumulation in berries. The R2R3-MYB, VbMYBA, which is a homolog of anthocyanin promoting R2R3-MYBs from other Vaccinium species, was also identified. Transient expression of VbMYBA in Nicotiana tabacum leaves confirmed its role as an anthocyanin regulator, and produced a higher anthocyanin concentration when compared with blueberry VcMYBA expression. Dual-luciferase assays further showed that VbMYBA can activate the DFR and UFGT promoters from other Vaccinium species. VbMYBA has an additional 23 aa at the N terminus compared with blueberry VcMYBA, but this was shown not to affect the ability to regulate anthocyanins. Taken together, our results provide important information on the molecular mechanisms responsible for the high anthocyanin content in Wufanshu berries.

Highlights

  • Wufanshu (Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb.) is a wild blueberry species belonging to the genus Vaccinium

  • We report on the identification of VbMYBA, which is closely related to the R2R3-MYB anthocyanin activator VcMYBA from blueberries (V. corymbosum and V. virgatum) (Plunkett et al, 2018) and show that its anthocyanin promoting activity is stronger than VcMYBA

  • The mechanism involved in anthocyanin accumulation in Wufanshu berries was investigated using ultra-high performance chromatography system (UHPLC)-Mass spectrometry (MS)/MS, RNA-Seq, dual-luciferase assays and transient color assays in tobacco leaves

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Wufanshu (Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb.) is a wild blueberry species belonging to the genus Vaccinium. It is an evergreen shrub or small tree widely distributed in hilly areas of China (Wang et al, 2013; Fan et al, 2019). The presence of secondary plant metabolites, such as anthocyanins (Lee et al, 2014), in Wufanshu berry extracts has been associated with its health-promoting activities such as antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory and antidepressant-like activity (Landa et al, 2014; Oh et al, 2018a). The amount of anthocyanins in fruits of Vaccinium species varies between species and cultivars (Lohachoompol et al, 2008; Stevenson and Scalzo, 2012; Li et al, 2017). Cho et al (2012) showed that the anthocyanin concentration in berries of V. bracteatum Thunb. was higher than that of V. corymbosum, but the basis for this is unknown

Methods
Results
Conclusion
Full Text
Paper version not known

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

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.