ABSTRACT
Anthocyanidin reductase (ANR) is one of the key enzyme in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway, and its catalytic activity is important for the synthesis of plant anthocyanin. In this study, specific primers were designed according to the transcriptome data of Lonicera japonica Thunb., and the CDS, gDNA and promoter sequences of ANR genes from Lonicera japonica Thunb. and Lonicera japonica Thunb. var. chinensis (Wats.) Bak. were cloned. The results showed that the CDS sequences of LjANR and rLjANR were 1 002 bp, the gDNA sequences were 2 017 and 2 026 bp respectively, and the promoter sequences were 1 170 and 1 164 bp respectively. LjANR and rLjANR both contain 6 exons and 5 introns, which have the same length of exons and large differences in introns. The promoter sequences both contain a large number of light response, hormone response and abiotic stress response elements. Bioinformatics analysis showed that both LjANR and rLjANR encoded 333 amino acids and were predicted to be stable hydrophobic proteins without transmembrane segments and signal peptides. The secondary structures of LjANR and rLjANR were predicted to be mainly consisted of α-helix and random coil. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis showed that LjANR and rLjANR had high homology with Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis, Camellia sinensis and Camellia oleifera, and were closely related to them. The expression levels of LjANR and rLjANR were the highest in flower buds and the lowest in roots. The expression patterns at different flowering stages were similar, with higher expression levels in S1 and S2 stages and then gradually decreased until reaching the lowest level in S4 stage, after a slow increase in S5 stage, the expression levels decreased again. The expression levels of ANR genes in the two varieties showed significant differences in roots, S2 and S5 stages, while the differences in stems, flower buds, S1, S3 and S6 stages were extremely significant. The prokaryotic expression vector pET-32a-LjANR was constructed for protein expression. The target protein was successfully expressed of about 59 kD. This study lays a foundation for further study on the function of ANR gene and provides theoretical guidance for breeding new varieties of Lonicera japonica Thunb.
ABSTRACT
UDP-glucose: flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase (UF3GT) uses flavones, dihydroflavonol or anthocyanin as the acceptor and uridine 5′-diphosphate-sugar as the donor to catalyze the production of flavonoid 3-O-glycoside compounds. Based on sequence homology and transcriptome data, we screened and cloned a UF3GT gene named CtUF3GT (GenBank No. OM948976) from safflower. Biological information analysis demonstrate that CtUF3GT has highly conserved PSPG motif. The open reading frame of CtUF3GT is 1 446 bp, encoding 481 amino acids, with a presumed molecular weight of 52.36 kD and a theoretical isoelectric point of 5.33. Multiple sequence alignment indicate that CtUF3GT has a high homology with UF3GT from Asteraceae, and phylogenetic analysis showed that CtUF3GT clusters with functional identified UF3GTs from other species. The purified recombinant protein glucosylated kaempferol and quercetin to biosynthesis of kaempferol 3-O-glucoside and quercetin 3-O-glucoside, respectively. And CtUF3GT prefered to use kaempferol as substrate. qRT-PCR analysis showed that the UF3GT gene was most highly expressed in flowers, followed by leaves, with very low expression in bracts and stems, and no expression in roots. The expression of UF3GT gene showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing at different stages of flower development. The expression of CtUF3GT gene in safflower with different flower color was highly significant (P < 0.01) at S1, S2, S5, S6 and S7 stages of flower development, in which the expression of CtUF3GT in white safflower was 5.3 and 3.1 times higher than that in red safflower at S6 and S7 stages. This study lays the foundation for further exploring the role of CtUF3GT in the mechanism of safflower flavonoid secondary metabolite biosynthesis and accumulation.
ABSTRACT
To explore the mechanism hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) biosynthesis and regulation, the effect of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment on gene expression related to the biosynthesis of hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) was analyzed, and expression differences in genes involved in HSYA biosynthesis in safflower of different colors was quantified. MeJA at concentrations of 0, 50, 100, and 200 μmol·L-1 was sprayed onto safflower florets to determine the optimal concentration of MeJA. Safflower was treated with 100 μmol·L-1 MeJA and florets were harvested 0, 3, 6, 12 and 24 h after treatment. The content of MeJA was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). RNA was extracted from safflower florets treated with 100 μmol·L-1 MeJA for 6 h. The transcription of key genes involved in the biosynthesis of HSYA was quantified by qRT-PCR and differentially expressed genes were identified. The content of HSYA increased after treatment with MeJA, with 100 μmol·L-1 MeJA treatment for 6 h having the greatest effect on HSYA accumulation. qRT-PCR results showed that MeJA could significantly increase the transcription of HSYA biosynthesis genes including PAL2, PAL4, 4CL2, 4CL4, 4CL5, CHS3, CHS4 and CHI2. The content of HSYA differed between safflowers of different colors with a trend of red>orange-yellow>yellow>white. The results of qRT-PCR showed that the expression of CHS1 and CHI2 in red, orange and yellow safflower was significantly higher than that in white safflower. These results indicate that MeJA promotes the accumulation of HSYA by up-regulating the expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis of HSYA such as PAL2, PAL4, 4CL2, 4CL4, 4CL5, CHS3, CHS4 and CHI2, and the variation of HSYA content in safflower of different colors was related to a difference in the level of expression of CHS1 and CHI2.
ABSTRACT
Flower medicinal materials usually refer to Chinese medicinal materials with a complete flower,inflorescence,or part of a flower as the different medicinal parts,they have an important share in the Chinese herbal medicine market and appeared frequently in Chinese medicine prescriptions. Firstly,the species and regional distribution of the flower medicinal materials resources in China were briefly summarized. Secondly,the characteristics,yield,producing area and origin distribution of the main flower medicinal materials in Henan province were discussed. Finally,the present situation and the main problems of the flower medicinal materials industry in Henan province were comprehensively analyzed,and the corresponding industrial development countermeasures were put forward.This research was intended to provide decision-making demonstration and scientific basis for the rational exploitation and utilization of resources,breeding of new varieties,planting division,production layout and the healthy and sustainable development of the flower medicinal materials industry in Henan province.