Molecular Elucidation of Anthocyanin Accumulation Mechanisms in <i>Hippeastrum hybridum</i> Cultivars

<i>Hippeastrum</i>, a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the <i>Amaryllidaceae</i> family, is widely cultivated for its large, vibrant flowers with diverse petal colors, which have significant ornamental and economic value. However, the mechanisms underlying anthocyanin...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Pengyu Guo, Chuanji Xing, Jiacheng Ye, Jing Xue, Luis A. J. Mur, Bao Di, Zongli Hu, Guoping Chen, Xiuhai Zhang, Xuqing Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Agronomy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/7/1722
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849409121148731392
author Pengyu Guo
Chuanji Xing
Jiacheng Ye
Jing Xue
Luis A. J. Mur
Bao Di
Zongli Hu
Guoping Chen
Xiuhai Zhang
Xuqing Chen
author_facet Pengyu Guo
Chuanji Xing
Jiacheng Ye
Jing Xue
Luis A. J. Mur
Bao Di
Zongli Hu
Guoping Chen
Xiuhai Zhang
Xuqing Chen
author_sort Pengyu Guo
collection DOAJ
description <i>Hippeastrum</i>, a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the <i>Amaryllidaceae</i> family, is widely cultivated for its large, vibrant flowers with diverse petal colors, which have significant ornamental and economic value. However, the mechanisms underlying anthocyanin accumulation in <i>Hippeastrum</i> petals remain poorly understood. To fully explore the involved regulation mechanism was significant for the breeding of <i>Hippeastrum</i> and other <i>Amaryllidaceae</i> family plants. In this study, we selected six <i>Hippeastrum</i> cultivars with distinctly different petal colors. We used metabolomic profiling and high-throughput transcriptomic sequencing to assess varied anthocyanin profiles and associated expression of genes in their biosynthetic pathways. Four key anthocyanins were identified: cyanidin, cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, delphinidin-3-glucoside, and delphinidin-3-rutinoside. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) correlated the abundance of these four anthocyanins with transcriptomic data, to suggest three regulatory modules. Nine transcription factors families in these modules were identified and some of them were validated using qRT-PCR. Y2H assay isolated some transcription factors interacted with TTG1 (WD40 protein), including MYB3/39/44/306 and bHLH13/34/110, illustrating the possibility of forming MBW complexes. Our study provides a comprehensive characterization of anthocyanin composition. These findings laid a theoretical foundation for future research on the regulatory mechanisms of pigment accumulation and the breeding of <i>Hippeastrum</i> cultivars with novel petal colors.
format Article
id doaj-art-b93f2c571cf34e44a12e6dccc604cb69
institution Kabale University
issn 2073-4395
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Agronomy
spelling doaj-art-b93f2c571cf34e44a12e6dccc604cb692025-08-20T03:35:36ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-07-01157172210.3390/agronomy15071722Molecular Elucidation of Anthocyanin Accumulation Mechanisms in <i>Hippeastrum hybridum</i> CultivarsPengyu Guo0Chuanji Xing1Jiacheng Ye2Jing Xue3Luis A. J. Mur4Bao Di5Zongli Hu6Guoping Chen7Xiuhai Zhang8Xuqing Chen9Institute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, ChinaInstitute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, ChinaInstitute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, ChinaInstitute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, ChinaThe Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion SY23 3DA, UKCollege of Horticulture, Hebei Agriculture University, Baoding 071000, ChinaBioengineering College, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, ChinaBioengineering College, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, ChinaInstitute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, ChinaInstitute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China<i>Hippeastrum</i>, a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the <i>Amaryllidaceae</i> family, is widely cultivated for its large, vibrant flowers with diverse petal colors, which have significant ornamental and economic value. However, the mechanisms underlying anthocyanin accumulation in <i>Hippeastrum</i> petals remain poorly understood. To fully explore the involved regulation mechanism was significant for the breeding of <i>Hippeastrum</i> and other <i>Amaryllidaceae</i> family plants. In this study, we selected six <i>Hippeastrum</i> cultivars with distinctly different petal colors. We used metabolomic profiling and high-throughput transcriptomic sequencing to assess varied anthocyanin profiles and associated expression of genes in their biosynthetic pathways. Four key anthocyanins were identified: cyanidin, cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, delphinidin-3-glucoside, and delphinidin-3-rutinoside. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) correlated the abundance of these four anthocyanins with transcriptomic data, to suggest three regulatory modules. Nine transcription factors families in these modules were identified and some of them were validated using qRT-PCR. Y2H assay isolated some transcription factors interacted with TTG1 (WD40 protein), including MYB3/39/44/306 and bHLH13/34/110, illustrating the possibility of forming MBW complexes. Our study provides a comprehensive characterization of anthocyanin composition. These findings laid a theoretical foundation for future research on the regulatory mechanisms of pigment accumulation and the breeding of <i>Hippeastrum</i> cultivars with novel petal colors.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/7/1722<i>Hippeastrum</i>petalsanthocyaninstranscriptomicsmetabolomicsWGCNA
spellingShingle Pengyu Guo
Chuanji Xing
Jiacheng Ye
Jing Xue
Luis A. J. Mur
Bao Di
Zongli Hu
Guoping Chen
Xiuhai Zhang
Xuqing Chen
Molecular Elucidation of Anthocyanin Accumulation Mechanisms in <i>Hippeastrum hybridum</i> Cultivars
Agronomy
<i>Hippeastrum</i>
petals
anthocyanins
transcriptomics
metabolomics
WGCNA
title Molecular Elucidation of Anthocyanin Accumulation Mechanisms in <i>Hippeastrum hybridum</i> Cultivars
title_full Molecular Elucidation of Anthocyanin Accumulation Mechanisms in <i>Hippeastrum hybridum</i> Cultivars
title_fullStr Molecular Elucidation of Anthocyanin Accumulation Mechanisms in <i>Hippeastrum hybridum</i> Cultivars
title_full_unstemmed Molecular Elucidation of Anthocyanin Accumulation Mechanisms in <i>Hippeastrum hybridum</i> Cultivars
title_short Molecular Elucidation of Anthocyanin Accumulation Mechanisms in <i>Hippeastrum hybridum</i> Cultivars
title_sort molecular elucidation of anthocyanin accumulation mechanisms in i hippeastrum hybridum i cultivars
topic <i>Hippeastrum</i>
petals
anthocyanins
transcriptomics
metabolomics
WGCNA
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/7/1722
work_keys_str_mv AT pengyuguo molecularelucidationofanthocyaninaccumulationmechanismsinihippeastrumhybridumicultivars
AT chuanjixing molecularelucidationofanthocyaninaccumulationmechanismsinihippeastrumhybridumicultivars
AT jiachengye molecularelucidationofanthocyaninaccumulationmechanismsinihippeastrumhybridumicultivars
AT jingxue molecularelucidationofanthocyaninaccumulationmechanismsinihippeastrumhybridumicultivars
AT luisajmur molecularelucidationofanthocyaninaccumulationmechanismsinihippeastrumhybridumicultivars
AT baodi molecularelucidationofanthocyaninaccumulationmechanismsinihippeastrumhybridumicultivars
AT zonglihu molecularelucidationofanthocyaninaccumulationmechanismsinihippeastrumhybridumicultivars
AT guopingchen molecularelucidationofanthocyaninaccumulationmechanismsinihippeastrumhybridumicultivars
AT xiuhaizhang molecularelucidationofanthocyaninaccumulationmechanismsinihippeastrumhybridumicultivars
AT xuqingchen molecularelucidationofanthocyaninaccumulationmechanismsinihippeastrumhybridumicultivars