Transcriptomic Profiling of Heat-Treated Oriental Lily Reveals <i>LhERF109</i> as a Positive Regulator of Anthocyanin Accumulation

Transcriptomic Profiling of Heat-Treated Oriental Lily Reveals <i>LhERF109</i> as a Positive Regulator of Anthocyanin Accumulation

Pink-flowered Oriental lily cultivars exhibit significant color fading under high temperatures, but the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. We subjected ‘Souvenir’ Oriental lily plants to temperature treatments (20 °C and 35 °C) and performed transcriptome sequencing and weighted gene c...

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Main Authors: Mei Zhou, Lijia Zeng, Fan Li, Chunlian Jin, Jungang Zhu, Xue Yong, Mengxi Wu, Beibei Jiang, Yin Jia, Huijuan Yuan, Jihua Wang, Yuanzhi Pan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Agronomy
Subjects:
oriental lily
heat stress
transcriptome
anthocyanin biosynthesis
WGCNA
<i>LhERF109</i>
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/5/1071
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Summary:Pink-flowered Oriental lily cultivars exhibit significant color fading under high temperatures, but the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. We subjected ‘Souvenir’ Oriental lily plants to temperature treatments (20 °C and 35 °C) and performed transcriptome sequencing and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). The high temperature (35 °C) significantly reduced the anthocyanin content in tepals. The transcriptome analysis identified 8354 differentially expressed genes, with the GO and KEGG analyses revealing a dynamic transition from early stress responses to metabolic adaptation. The WGCNA revealed a module strongly correlated with the anthocyanin content, from which we constructed a gene co-expression network using known anthocyanin-related genes, including the key transcription factor <i>LhMYB12</i> and structural genes involved in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway (<i>LhANS</i>, <i>LhDFR</i>, <i>LhUGT78</i>, and <i>LhF3′H</i>). Through this comprehensive network analysis, we successfully identified and screened <i>LhERF109</i> as a promising regulatory candidate. The transient overexpression of <i>LhERF109</i> was found to enhance anthocyanin accumulation and upregulate biosynthetic genes including <i>LhMYB12</i>, while silencing <i>LhERF109</i> expression produced the opposite effects. These findings identify <i>LhERF109</i> as a positive regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis under high temperatures, providing new targets for breeding heat-tolerant lilies with stable flower coloration.
ISSN:2073-4395

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