Relationship of the Anthocyanian Content with the Expression Level of the Anthocyanian Biosynthesis Pathway Regulatory and Structural Genes in <i>Capsicum</i> L. Species

Abstract

In this study, the content of anthocyanins and the expression pattern of regulatory (CaMYB113, CaMYB1, and CaMYB1-like) and structural (CaCHS, CaCHI, CaF3H, CaDFR, CaANS, CaUFGT1, and CaGSTF12) genes of the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway in leaves, flower petals, and peel of unripe fruits of pepper Capsicum frutescens L. cultivars (Samotsvet, Rozhdestvenskii buket and Eureka), which differ in the pattern of anthocyanin-mediated pigmentation of aboveground organs. A positive correlation was found between the levels of CaCHS, CaF3H, CaDFR, CaANS, and CaCSTF12 transcripts with the amount of anthocyanins in the leaves of these cultivars. It was shown that out of three regulatory genes only CaMYB113 is expressed. Using ten cultivars of three Capsicum species as an example, the presence of 5'-UTR in CaMYB113 mRNA was confirmed. The second variant of the CaMYB113 allele with the insertion of the LINE-1 retrotransposon in intron I was found in the genome of cv. Rozhdestvensky buket and Samotsvet with purple color of the analyzed organs.