Flower color alteration in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lotus japonicus</Emphasis> by modification of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway

To establish a model system for alteration of flower color by carotenoid pigments, we modified the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway of Lotus japonicus using overexpression of the crtW gene isolated from marine bacteria Agrobacterium aurantiacum and encoding β-carotene ketolase (4,4′-β-oxygenase) for the production of pink to red color ketocarotenoids. The crtW gene with the transit peptide sequence of the pea Rubisco small subunit under the regulation of the CaMV35S promoter was introduced to L. japonicus. In most of the resulting transgenic plants, the color of flower petals changed from original light yellow to deep yellow or orange while otherwise exhibiting normal phenotype. HPLC and TLC analyses revealed that leaves and flower petals of these plants accumulated novel carotenoids, believed to be ketocarotenoids consisting of including astaxanthin, adonixanthin, canthaxanthin and echinenone. Results indicated that modification of the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway is a means of altering flower color in ornamental crops.     

Regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis during tomato development.

Phytoene synthase (Psy) and phytoene desaturase (Pds) are the first dedicated enzymes of the plant carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. We report here the organ-specific and temporal expression of PDS and PSY in tomato plants. Light increases the carotenoid content of seedlings but has little effect on PDS and PSY expression. Expression of both genes is induced in seedlings of the phytoene-accumulating mutant ghost and in wild-type seedlings treated with the Pds inhibitor norflurazon. Roots, which contain the lowest levels of carotenoids in the plant, have also the lowest levels of PDS and PSY expression. In flowers, expression of both genes and carotenoid content are higher in petals and anthers than in sepals and carpels. During flower development, expression of both PDS and PSY increases more than 10-fold immediately before anthesis. During fruit development, PSY expression increases more than 20-fold, but PDS expression increases less than threefold. We concluded that PSY and PDS are differentially regulated by stress and developmental mechanisms that control carotenoid biosynthesis in leaves, flowers, and fruits. We also report that PDS maps to chromosome 3, and thus it does not correspond to the GHOST locus, which maps to chromosome 11.     

Enhancing the carotenoid content of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica napus</Emphasis> seeds by downregulating lycopene epsilon cyclase

The accumulation of carotenoids in higher plants is regulated by the environment, tissue type and developmental stage. In Brassica napus leaves, beta-carotene and lutein were the main carotenoids present while petals primarily accumulated lutein and violaxanthin. Carotenoid accumulation in seeds was developmentally regulated with the highest levels detected at 35-40 days post anthesis. The carotenoid biosynthesis pathway branches after the formation of lycopene. One branch forms carotenoids with two beta rings such as beta-carotene, zeaxanthin and violaxanthin, while the other introduces both beta- and epsilon-rings in lycopene to form alpha-carotene and lutein. By reducing the expression of lycopene epsilon-cyclase (epsilon-CYC) using RNAi, we investigated altering carotenoid accumulation in seeds of B. napus. Transgenic seeds expressing this construct had increased levels of beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, violaxanthin and, unexpectedly, lutein. The higher total carotenoid content resulting from reduction of epsilon-CYC expression in seeds suggests that this gene is a rate-limiting step in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. epsilon-CYC activity and carotenoid production may also be related to fatty acid biosynthesis in seeds as transgenic seeds showed an overall decrease in total fatty acid content and minor changes in the proportions of various fatty acids.     

A chromoplast-specific carotenoid biosynthesis pathway is revealed by cloning of the tomato white-flower locus

Carotenoids and their oxygenated derivatives xanthophylls play essential roles in the pigmentation of flowers and fruits. Wild-type tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) flowers are intensely yellow due to accumulation of the xanthophylls neoxanthin and violaxanthin. To study the regulation of xanthophyll biosynthesis, we analyzed the mutant white-flower (wf). It was found that the recessive wf phenotype is caused by mutations in a flower-specific beta-ring carotene hyroxylase gene (CrtR-b2). Two deletions and one exon-skipping mutation in different CrtR-b2 wf alleles abolish carotenoid biosynthesis in flowers but not leaves, where the homologous CrtR-b1 is constitutively expressed. A second beta-carotene hydroxylase enzyme as well as flower- and fruit-specific geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase, phytoene synthase, and lycopene beta-cyclase together define a carotenoid biosynthesis pathway active in chromoplasts only, underscoring the crucial role of gene duplication in specialized plant metabolic pathways. We hypothesize that this pathway in tomato was initially selected during evolution to enhance flower coloration and only later recruited to enhance fruit pigmentation. The elimination of beta-carotene hydroxylation in wf petals results in an 80% reduction in total carotenoid concentration, possibly caused by the inability of petals to store high concentrations of carotenoids other than xanthophylls and by degradation of beta-carotene, which accumulates as a result of the wf mutation but is not due to altered expression of genes in the biosynthetic pathway.     

Analysis of carotenoid composition in petals of calendula (Calendula officinalis L.)

Nineteen carotenoids were identified in extracts of petals of orange- and yellow-flowered cultivars of calendula (Calendula officinalis L.). Ten carotenoids were unique to orange-flowered cultivars. The UV-vis absorption maxima of these ten carotenoids were at longer wavelengths than that of flavoxanthin, the main carotenoid of calendula petals, and it is clear that these carotenoids are responsible for the orange color of the petals. Six carotenoids had a cis structure at C-5 (C-5'), and it is conceivable that these (5Z)-carotenoids are enzymatically isomerized at C-5 in a pathway that diverges from the main carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. Among them, (5Z,9Z)-lycopene (1), (5Z,9Z,5'Z,9'Z)-lycopene (3), (5'Z)-gamma-carotene (4), and (5'Z,9'Z)-rubixanthin (5) has never before been identified. Additionally, (5Z,9Z,5'Z)-lycopene (2) has been reported only as a synthesized compound.     

Identification of Genes Associated with Chlorophyll Accumulation in Flower Petals

Plants have an ability to prevent chlorophyll accumulation, which would mask the bright flower color, in their petals. In contrast, leaves contain substantial amounts of chlorophyll, as it is essential for photosynthesis. The mechanisms of organ-specific chlorophyll accumulation are unknown. To identify factors that determine the chlorophyll content in petals, we compared the expression of genes related to chlorophyll metabolism in different stages of non-green (red and white) petals (very low chlorophyll content), pale-green petals (low chlorophyll content), and leaves (high chlorophyll content) of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.). The expression of many genes encoding chlorophyll biosynthesis enzymes, in particular Mg-chelatase, was lower in non-green petals than in leaves. Non-green petals also showed higher expression of genes involved in chlorophyll degradation, including STAY-GREEN gene and pheophytinase. These data suggest that the absence of chlorophylls in carnation petals may be caused by the low rate of chlorophyll biosynthesis and high rate of degradation. Similar results were obtained by the analysis of Arabidopsis microarray data. In carnation, most genes related to chlorophyll biosynthesis were expressed at similar levels in pale-green petals and leaves, whereas the expression of chlorophyll catabolic genes was higher in pale-green petals than in leaves. Therefore, we hypothesize that the difference in chlorophyll content between non-green and pale-green petals is due to different levels of chlorophyll biosynthesis. Our study provides a basis for future molecular and genetic studies on organ-specific chlorophyll accumulation.     

杂交兰花色花香生物合成途径的转录组分析

该研究以杂交兰(Cymbidium hybrid)不同花色花香品种‘玉凤’(K18,黄色)和‘福韵丹霞’(K24,紫红色)为材料,采用RNA-Seq技术获得杂交兰不同花期的花朵转录组数据,分析杂交兰不同时期花色/花香相关基因的表达变化,探讨杂交兰花色花香形成的分子机理,为杂交的定向改良和新品种选育提供依据.结果表明:(...     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Nicotiana glauca</Emphasis> engineered for the production of ketocarotenoids in flowers and leaves by expressing the cyanobacterial <Emphasis Type="Italic">crtO</Emphasis> ketolase gene

Nicotiana glauca is a tobacco species that forms flowers with carotenoid-pigmented petals, sepals, pistil, ovary and nectary tissue. The carotenoids produced are lutein, ss-carotene as well as some violaxanthin and antheraxanthin. This tobacco species was genetically modified for ketocarotenoid biosynthesis by transformation with a cyanobacterial crtO ketolase gene under the 35S CaMV promoter. In the transformants, ketocarotenoids were detected in both leaves and flowers. Although astaxanthin was not detected other ketocarotenoids such as 4'-ketolutein, echinenone, 3'-hydroxyechinenone and 4-ketozeaxanthin were present. Accumulation of ketocarotenoids in leaves decreased their photosynthetic efficiency moderately. Under the green house conditions used no impairment of growth and development compared to the wild type was observed. In the crtO-transformants, an unexpected up-regulation of total carotenoid biosynthesis in leaves and especially in flower petals was observed. This led to a total ketocarotenoid concentration in leaves of 136.6 (young) or 156.1 (older) mug/g dry weight and in petals of 165 mug/g dry weight. In our engineered plants, the ketocarotenoid pathway is one step short of astaxanthin. Strategies are discussed to improve N. glauca flowers as a biological system for astaxanthin.     

Developmental and LED Light Source Modulation of Carotenogenic Gene Expression in Oncidium Gower Ramsey Flowers

Cut flowers of the orchid Oncidium Gower Ramsey are valuable agricultural produce around the world because of their yellow color contributed by carotenoids in adaxial and abaxial epidermal layers in petals and labellum. Here, we investigated the regulation of carotenogenic genes in response to different light qualities in Oncidium flowers. Total chlorophyll content was high in young flower buds and reduced during flower development, but carotenoid content was increased during flower development. We detected 11 key carotenoid biosynthesis genes and determined their expression profiles with light treatment. Real-time PCR revealed high mRNA levels of most genes, except OncCHYB and OncSDR, in vegetative tissues; only OncLCYe showed low expression in flowers. White light upregulated OncPSY, OncLCYb, and OncNCED but downregulated OncPDS, OncZDS, OncCrtISO, OncLCYe, OncCHYB, OncZEP, OncCCD1, and OncSDR; red light upregulated OncPSY, OncLCYb, OncLCYe, and OncCCD1; and UV light upregulated OncPSY, OncPDS, OncLCYb, OncZEP, and OncNCED. We cloned the promoter region of the phytoene synthase gene and found it to have potential cis-regulatory elements, such as TATA-box and CAAT-box, in addition to multiple light-responsive elements such as G-box, I-box, GT-1 motif, GAG-motif, and H-box. Our results of light-regulated carotenogenic gene expression and promoter analysis in flowers of Oncidium Gower Ramsey suggest ways to manipulate carotenoid content for high-quality cut-flower production.     

查尔酮合酶基因对转基因植物花色和育性的影响

查尔酮合酶 ( chalcone synthase,CHS)是花色素合成途径中的一个关键酶 ,它在植物中表达量的改变可能影响花的颜色。从矮牵牛 ( Petunia hybrida)特定发育阶段的花瓣的 c DNA中 ,克隆到查尔酮合酶基因 ,并正向插入到原核表达载体和含有花椰菜花叶病毒 Ca MV 35 S启动子的真核表达载体中 ,在原核中得到高效表达 ,并通过土壤农杆菌介导的方法转化矮牵牛。转基因植物的花色不但发生了明显的变异 ,其育性也受到了影响 ,不能产生正常花粉粒 ,成为雄性不育植株。 Northern杂交表明 ,转基因植物花瓣中 ,内源及外源查尔酮合酶基因转录均受到抑制