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Updated: Jul 9, 2026
Biosynthesis of a Flavonol from a Flavanone by Establishing a One-pot Bienzymatic Cascade
Published on: August 14, 2019
Comparative transcriptome profiling reveals a role of 24-epibrassinolide in flavonoid biosynthesis in Gleditsia
Zisiye Mu1, Shuai Liu2, Qiaoyuhui Xue1
1College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China.
Background:
It has been shown that 24-epibrassinolide (EBR), an active by-product of brassinolide biosynthesis, can stimulate different plant metabolic processes, including photosynthesis and protein and nucleic acid biosynthesis. EBR plays an important role in plant growth and development, especially in regulating the synthesis of secondary metabolites. The flavonoid-rich thorns of Gleditsia sinensis are used as a traditional Chinese medicine. Little is known about the molecular mechanism of flavonoid synthesis changes under EBR treatment. To elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism, we conducted comparative transcriptome analysis of plants treated with four different EBR concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 mg/L) using RNA-Seq.
Results:
A total of 1176 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found between the EBR treatment groups. Among the DEGs, PAL and 4CL among flavonoid biosynthesis genes were significantly up-regulated under 1.0 mg/L EBR treatment. Additionally, CHS, F3H, and FLS were significantly up-regulated under 0.5 and 1.5 mg/L EBR treatments. Furthermore, C4H and CHI had higher expression under all EBR treatments than under control conditions, but DFR and ANR were down-regulating under all EBR treatments. In additional, important transcription factors (MYB-related, NAC, and WRKY) were activated under different EBR concentrations. Functional enrichment analysis suggested that genes associated with the metabolic process, response to stimulus, response to stress, plant hormone signal transduction, and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways were significantly enriched under EBR treatment.
Conclusion:
Our study first provides a comprehensive understanding of genes involved in the response to EBR at the transcriptome level, especially the changes in the flavonoid pathway. These results elucidate the molecular mechanism of the EBR response in G. sinensis and also provide new insights and candidate genes for the synthesis of flavonoids under EBR treatment.
