Integrated Transcriptomics and Metabolomics Analysis Reveals IbCCoAOMT7 Negatively Regulating Anthocyanin...

Area of Science:

• Plant Biochemistry
• Metabolic Engineering
• Agricultural Science

Background:

• Anthocyanins are vital for purple-fleshed sweetpotato (PFSP) nutritional value.
• The interplay between lignin and anthocyanin biosynthesis in PFSP is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the regulatory mechanisms governing anthocyanin biosynthesis and phenylpropanoid metabolic flux in PFSP.
• To identify genes influencing the balance between anthocyanin and lignin pathways.

Main Methods:

• Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of PFSP (XZ13) and its mutant (XZ13M).
• Gene expression analysis and functional characterization of candidate genes.
• Overexpression studies in sweetpotato storage roots.

Main Results:

• Diminished anthocyanin in mutants correlated with phenylpropanoid pathway repression.
• Identified IbCCoAOMT7, a methyltransferase gene, with dual nucleocytoplasmic localization.
• Overexpression of IbCCoAOMT7 reduced anthocyanin and increased lignin, suggesting flux modulation toward lignin synthesis.

Conclusions:

• IbCCoAOMT7 plays a crucial role in balancing metabolic flux between lignin and anthocyanin pathways.
• This gene is a potential target for breeding anthocyanin-enriched PFSP varieties.
• A regulatory model involving substrate availability and transcriptional feedback is proposed.