Integrated Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Mechanism of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in <i>Pisum sativum</i> L. with Different Pod Colors

Pea (<i>Pisum sativum</i> L.) is a significant source of dietary protein, starch, fiber, and minerals, offering health benefits and serving as both a green vegetable and dry grain. The pigment contents in pea pods with different colors and related genes are still unclear. We conducted an...

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Main Authors: Weijun Ye, Zejiang Wu, Dongfeng Tian, Bin Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Agronomy
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/7/1609
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author Weijun Ye
Zejiang Wu
Dongfeng Tian
Bin Zhou
author_facet Weijun Ye
Zejiang Wu
Dongfeng Tian
Bin Zhou
author_sort Weijun Ye
collection DOAJ
description Pea (<i>Pisum sativum</i> L.) is a significant source of dietary protein, starch, fiber, and minerals, offering health benefits and serving as both a green vegetable and dry grain. The pigment contents in pea pods with different colors and related genes are still unclear. We conducted an integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis on three cultivars, including QiZhen (QZ) with green immature pods, FengMi (FM) with yellow immature pods, and ZiYu (ZY) with purple immature pods, to identify the key genes and metabolites involved in anthocyanin accumulation. ZY showed the highest total anthocyanin content compared with FM and QZ. Subsequent quantification revealed that four metabolites, including Delphinidin-3-O-galactoside, Delphinidin-3-O-(6″-O-xylosyl)glucoside, Cyanidin-3-O-galactoside, and Pelargonidin-3-O-(xylosyl)glucoside, were the most highly accumulated in the ZY cultivar, suggesting their role in the purple pigmentation of ZY pea pods. There were 49 differentially accumulated anthocyanidins in ZY vs. FM, 43 differentially accumulated anthocyanidins in ZY vs. QZ, and 21 differentially accumulated anthocyanidins in FM vs. QZ. These findings highlight the importance of the type and concentration of anthocyanin compounds, especially those based on delphinidin, cyanidin, and pelargonidin, in the development of purple pea pods. The transcriptomic analysis revealed that certain anthocyanin biosynthetic genes were expressed at higher levels in ZY than in FM and QZ. In ZY, the higher expression levels of five key genes (<i>PAL</i>, <i>4CL</i>, <i>CHS</i>, <i>F3H</i>, and <i>UFGT</i>) resulted in elevated anthocyanin content compared to FM and QZ. Furthermore, the BSA-seq analysis identified a candidate region associated with purple color in pea pods, which is located on chromosome 6 and contains 21 DEGs. Sequence variation in <i>KIW84_061698</i>, which encodes a bHLH transcription factor, was identified as the key candidate gene controlling anthocyanin content. This study clarifies the molecular mechanisms behind pea pod coloration and identifies potential genetic engineering targets for breeding anthocyanin-rich sugar snap peas.
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spelling doaj-art-88cba2f96a6247629b2c4b34cf9441442025-08-20T03:55:48ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-06-01157160910.3390/agronomy15071609Integrated Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Mechanism of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in <i>Pisum sativum</i> L. with Different Pod ColorsWeijun Ye0Zejiang Wu1Dongfeng Tian2Bin Zhou3Crop Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei 230031, ChinaCrop Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei 230031, ChinaCrop Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei 230031, ChinaCrop Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei 230031, ChinaPea (<i>Pisum sativum</i> L.) is a significant source of dietary protein, starch, fiber, and minerals, offering health benefits and serving as both a green vegetable and dry grain. The pigment contents in pea pods with different colors and related genes are still unclear. We conducted an integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis on three cultivars, including QiZhen (QZ) with green immature pods, FengMi (FM) with yellow immature pods, and ZiYu (ZY) with purple immature pods, to identify the key genes and metabolites involved in anthocyanin accumulation. ZY showed the highest total anthocyanin content compared with FM and QZ. Subsequent quantification revealed that four metabolites, including Delphinidin-3-O-galactoside, Delphinidin-3-O-(6″-O-xylosyl)glucoside, Cyanidin-3-O-galactoside, and Pelargonidin-3-O-(xylosyl)glucoside, were the most highly accumulated in the ZY cultivar, suggesting their role in the purple pigmentation of ZY pea pods. There were 49 differentially accumulated anthocyanidins in ZY vs. FM, 43 differentially accumulated anthocyanidins in ZY vs. QZ, and 21 differentially accumulated anthocyanidins in FM vs. QZ. These findings highlight the importance of the type and concentration of anthocyanin compounds, especially those based on delphinidin, cyanidin, and pelargonidin, in the development of purple pea pods. The transcriptomic analysis revealed that certain anthocyanin biosynthetic genes were expressed at higher levels in ZY than in FM and QZ. In ZY, the higher expression levels of five key genes (<i>PAL</i>, <i>4CL</i>, <i>CHS</i>, <i>F3H</i>, and <i>UFGT</i>) resulted in elevated anthocyanin content compared to FM and QZ. Furthermore, the BSA-seq analysis identified a candidate region associated with purple color in pea pods, which is located on chromosome 6 and contains 21 DEGs. Sequence variation in <i>KIW84_061698</i>, which encodes a bHLH transcription factor, was identified as the key candidate gene controlling anthocyanin content. This study clarifies the molecular mechanisms behind pea pod coloration and identifies potential genetic engineering targets for breeding anthocyanin-rich sugar snap peas.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/7/1609pea (<i>Pisum sativum</i> L.)transcriptomemetabolomeanthocyaninpod color
spellingShingle Weijun Ye
Zejiang Wu
Dongfeng Tian
Bin Zhou
Integrated Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Mechanism of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in <i>Pisum sativum</i> L. with Different Pod Colors
Agronomy
pea (<i>Pisum sativum</i> L.)
transcriptome
metabolome
anthocyanin
pod color
title Integrated Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Mechanism of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in <i>Pisum sativum</i> L. with Different Pod Colors
title_full Integrated Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Mechanism of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in <i>Pisum sativum</i> L. with Different Pod Colors
title_fullStr Integrated Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Mechanism of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in <i>Pisum sativum</i> L. with Different Pod Colors
title_full_unstemmed Integrated Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Mechanism of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in <i>Pisum sativum</i> L. with Different Pod Colors
title_short Integrated Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Mechanism of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in <i>Pisum sativum</i> L. with Different Pod Colors
title_sort integrated metabolome and transcriptome analysis reveals the mechanism of anthocyanin biosynthesis in i pisum sativum i l with different pod colors
topic pea (<i>Pisum sativum</i> L.)
transcriptome
metabolome
anthocyanin
pod color
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/7/1609
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AT dongfengtian integratedmetabolomeandtranscriptomeanalysisrevealsthemechanismofanthocyaninbiosynthesisinipisumsativumilwithdifferentpodcolors
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