Abstract
The CO2 saturation point can reach as high as 1819 μmol· mol−1 in carrot (Daucus carota L.). In recent years, carrot has been cultivated in out-of-season greenhouses, but the molecular mechanism of CO2 enrichment has been ignored, and this is a missed opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of this important process. In this study, it was found that CO2 enrichment increased the aboveground and belowground biomasses and greatly increased the carotenoid contents. Twenty genes related to carotenoids were discovered in 482 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) through RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq.). These genes were involved in either carotenoid biosynthesis or the composition of the photosystem membrane proteins, most of which were upregulated. We suspected that these genes were directly related to quality improvement and increases in biomass under CO2 enrichment in carrot. As such, β-carotene hydroxylase activity in carotenoid metabolism and the expression levels of coded genes were determined and analysed, and the results were consistent with the observed change in carotenoid content. These results illustrate the molecular mechanism by which the increase in carotenoid content after CO2 enrichment leads to the improvement of quality and biological yield. Our findings have important theoretical and practical significance.
Highlights
The CO2 saturation point can reach as high as 1819 μmol· mol−1 in carrot (Daucus carota L.)
The carotenoids in leaves act as antenna pigments, participate in photosynthesis and are responsible for the rich colours found in plant organs
The results showed that the accumulation of carotenoids is regulated by multiple genes, and there is a correlation between carotenoid content and root color[12]
Summary
The CO2 saturation point can reach as high as 1819 μmol· mol−1 in carrot (Daucus carota L.). Β-carotene hydroxylase activity in carotenoid metabolism and the expression levels of coded genes were determined and analysed, and the results were consistent with the observed change in carotenoid content These results illustrate the molecular mechanism by which the increase in carotenoid content after CO2 enrichment leads to the improvement of quality and biological yield. Studies on carotenoids in carrots with different root colours have found that the accumulation of α-carotene and the formation of lutein may be related to the expression level of the carotene hydroxylase gene[14] These results indicate that there are many kinds of carotenoids, and each enzyme in carotenoid metabolism may play a variable role depending on the environment or stage of development
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