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Spatiotemporal Transcriptome Analysis Provides Insights into Bicolor Tepal Development in Lilium "Tiny Padhye"
Leifeng Xu1, Panpan Yang2, Yayan Feng1
1Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Beijing, China.
Frontiers in Plant Science
|April 11, 2017
Summary
The bicolor trait in "Tiny Padhye" lilies results from coordinated gene expression in anthocyanin biosynthesis and chlorophyll metabolism pathways during tepal development. This study reveals key molecular mechanisms driving the unique coloration in these ornamental plants.
Area of Science:
- Plant Molecular Biology
- Transcriptomics
- Ornamental Horticulture
Background:
- The Asiatic hybrid lily cultivar "Tiny Padhye" exhibits a distinctive bicolor pattern in its tepals.
- The molecular basis for this unique coloration during tepal development is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the bicolor tepal development in *Lilium* "Tiny Padhye" using transcriptome analysis.
- To identify candidate genes and regulatory pathways responsible for the color differences.
Main Methods:
- RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on upper and basal tepals at different developmental stages.
- High-throughput sequencing generated over 700 million reads, assembled into 295,787 unigenes.
- Differential gene expression analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were employed.
Main Results:
- 16,182 differentially expressed genes were identified during tepal development.
- Candidate genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis (61 unigenes) and chlorophyll metabolism (106 unigenes) were pinpointed.
- Coordinated transcription of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes in basal tepals and differential expression of chlorophyll-related genes were observed, explaining the bicolor phenotype.
Conclusions:
- The bicolor pattern in "Tiny Padhye" lilies is attributed to the transcriptional regulation of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes and differential chlorophyll metabolism.
- This study provides valuable transcriptome data for understanding lily tepal coloration and related species.