<i>bHLH291</i> Regulates Anthocyanin Accumulation in Kiwifruit Under Bagging Treatment
Anthocyanins, as natural pigments belonging to the flavonoid group, play a crucial role in plant reproduction, stress resistance and human fitness. Kiwifruit, which is rich in anthocyanins, demonstrates significant potential for promoting health benefits. Although light is widely recognized as an in...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Horticulturae |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/6/666 |
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| Summary: | Anthocyanins, as natural pigments belonging to the flavonoid group, play a crucial role in plant reproduction, stress resistance and human fitness. Kiwifruit, which is rich in anthocyanins, demonstrates significant potential for promoting health benefits. Although light is widely recognized as an inducer of anthocyanin accumulation, we observed that kiwifruit accumulates more anthocyanin after bagging treatment. This unexpected finding suggests that anthocyanin biosynthesis in kiwifruit may also be regulated by other environmental or physiological factors influenced by bagging, such as humidity, temperature, or gas exchange. This implies that bagging may trigger specific regulatory pathways that promote anthocyanin accumulation through multiple environmental cues beyond light. Therefore, RNA-seq was performed to find the potential pathway. A total of 260 differentially expressed genes were found, including 8 transcription factors and 1 anthocyanin biosynthesis gene <i>F3GT1</i> (glucosyltransferase). Dual-luciferase reporter assays revealed that <i>bHLH</i> transcription factors could activate the promoter of <i>F3GT1</i> by 2.45-fold. We infer that bagging treatment increases the kiwifruit anthocyanin content through the <i>bHLH291</i>-<i>F3GT1</i> pathway. This study not only highlights the potential agricultural applications and commercial value of bagging treatment but also provides new theoretical support for improving fruit coloration and optimizing breeding strategies. |
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| ISSN: | 2311-7524 |