15-<i>cis</i>-Phytoene Desaturase and 15-<i>cis</i>-Phytoene Synthase Can Catalyze the Synthesis of β-Carotene and Influence the Color of Apricot Pulp
Ningning Gou,
Xuchun Zhu,
Mingyu Yin,
Han Zhao,
Haikun Bai,
Nan Jiang,
Wanyu Xu,
Chu Wang,
Yujing Zhang,
Tana Wuyun
Affiliations
Ningning Gou
Kernel-Apricot Engineering and Technology Research Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Xuchun Zhu
School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100037, China
Mingyu Yin
Kernel-Apricot Engineering and Technology Research Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Han Zhao
Kernel-Apricot Engineering and Technology Research Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Haikun Bai
Kernel-Apricot Engineering and Technology Research Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Nan Jiang
Kernel-Apricot Engineering and Technology Research Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Wanyu Xu
Kernel-Apricot Engineering and Technology Research Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Chu Wang
Kernel-Apricot Engineering and Technology Research Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Yujing Zhang
Kernel-Apricot Engineering and Technology Research Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Tana Wuyun
Kernel-Apricot Engineering and Technology Research Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Fruit color affects its commercial value. β-carotene is the pigment that provides color for many fruits and vegetables. However, the molecular mechanism of β-carotene metabolism during apricot ripening is largely unknown. Here, we investigated whether β-carotene content affects apricot fruit color. First, the differences in β-carotene content between orange apricot ‘JTY’ and white apricot ‘X15’ during nine developmental stages (S1–S9) were compared. β-carotene contents highly significantly differed between ‘JTY’ and ‘X15’ from S5 (color transition stage) onwards. Whole-transcriptome analysis showed that the β-carotene synthesis genes 15-cis-phytoene desaturase (PaPDS) and 15-cis-phytoene synthase (PaPSY) significantly differed between the two cultivars during the color transition stage. There was a 5 bp deletion in exon 11 of PaPDS in ‘X15’, which led to early termination of amino acid translation. Gene overexpression and virus-induced silencing analysis showed that truncated PaPDS disrupted the β-carotene biosynthesis pathway in apricot pulp, resulting in decreased β-carotene content and a white phenotype. Furthermore, virus-induced silencing analysis showed that PaPSY was also a key gene in β-carotene biosynthesis. These findings provide new insights into the molecular regulation of apricot carotenoids and provide a theoretical reference for breeding new cultivars of apricot.
