Chalcone isomerase gene from rice (Oryza sativa) and barley (Hordeum vulgare): physical, genetic and mutation mapping

Ant13 Encodes Regulatory Factor WD40 Controlling Anthocyanin and Proanthocyanidin Synthesis in Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Flavonoid compounds like anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins are important plant secondary metabolites having wide biological activities for humans. In this study, the molecular function of the Ant13 locus, which is one of the key loci governing flavonoid synthesis in barley, was determined. It was found that Ant13 encodes a WD40-type regulatory protein, which is required for transcriptional activation of a set of structural genes encoding enzymes of flavonoid biosynthesis at the leaf sheath base (colored by anthocyanins) and in grains (which accumulate proanthocyanidins). Besides its role in flavonoid biosynthesis, pleiotropic effects of this gene in plant growth were revealed. The mutants deficient in the Ant13 locus showed similar germination rates but a decreased rate of root and shoot growth and yield-related parameters in comparison to the parental cultivars. This is the seventh Ant locus (among 30) for which molecular functions in flavonoid biosynthesis regulation have been determined.

Molecular breeding of barley for quality traits and resilience to climate change

Barley grains are a rich source of compounds, such as resistant starch, beta-glucans and anthocyanins, that can be explored in order to develop various products to support human health, while lignocellulose in straw can be optimised for feed in husbandry, bioconversion into bioethanol or as a starting material for new compounds. Existing natural variations of these compounds can be used to breed improved cultivars or integrated with a large number of mutant lines. The technical demands can be in opposition depending on barley's end use as feed or food or as a source of biofuel. For example beta-glucans are beneficial in human diets but can lead to issues in brewing and poultry feed. Barley breeders have taken action to integrate new technologies, such as induced mutations, transgenics, marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, site-directed mutagenesis and lastly machine learning, in order to improve quality traits. Although only a limited number of cultivars with new quality traits have so far reached the market, research has provided valuable knowledge and inspiration for future design and a combination of methodologies to achieve the desired traits. The changes in climate is expected to affect the quality of the harvested grain and it is already a challenge to mitigate the unpredictable seasonal and annual variations in temperature and precipitation under elevated [CO₂] by breeding. This paper presents the mutants and encoded proteins, with a particular focus on anthocyanins and lignocellulose, that have been identified and characterised in detail and can provide inspiration for continued breeding to achieve desired grain and straw qualities.

Mutations in PmUFGT3 contribute to color variation of fruit skin in Japanese apricot (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.)

BACKGROUND

Japanese apricot (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.) is popular for both ornamental and processing value, fruit color affects the processing quality, and red pigmentation is the most obvious phenotype associated with fruit color variation in Japanese apricot, mutations in structural genes in the anthocyanin pathway can disrupt the red pigmentation, while the formation mechanism of the red color trait in Japanese apricot is still unclear.  RESULTS: One SNP marker (PmuSNP_27) located within PmUFGT3 gene coding region was found highly polymorphic among 44 different fruit skin color cultivars and relative to anthocyanin biosynthesis in Japanese apricot. Meantime, critical mutations were identified in two alleles of PmUFGT3 in the green-skinned type is inactivated by seven nonsense mutations in the coding region, which leads to seven amino acid substitution, resulting in an inactive UFGT enzyme. Overexpression of the PmUFGT3 allele from red-skinned Japanese apricot in green-skinned fruit lines resulted in greater anthocyanin accumulation in fruit skin. Expression of same allele in an Arabidopsis T-DNA mutant deficient in anthocyanidin activity the accumulation of anthocyanins. In addition, using site-directed mutagenesis, we created a single-base substitution mutation (G to T) of PmUFGT3 isolated from green-skinned cultivar, which caused an E to D amino acid substitution and restored the function of the inactive allele of PmUFGT3 from a green-skinned individual.

CONCLUSION

This study confirms the function of PmUFGT3, and provides insight into the mechanism underlying fruit color determination in Japanese apricot, and possible approaches towards genetic engineering of fruit color.

Genome-Wide Association Study of Pericarp Color in Rice Using Different Germplasm and Phenotyping Methods Reveals Different Genetic Architectures

Pericarp colors (PC) in rice are determined by the types and content of flavonoids in the pericarp. The flavonoid compounds have strong antioxidant activities and are beneficial to human health. However, the genetic basis of PC in rice is still not well-understood. In this study, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of PC was performed in a diverse rice collection consisting of 442 accessions using different phenotyping methods in two locations over 2 years. In the whole population consisting of white and colored pericarp rice, a total of 11 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified using two phenotyping methods. Among these QTLs, nine were identified using the phenotypes represented by the presence and absence of pigmentation in pericarp, while 10 were identified using phenotypes of the degree of PC (DPC), in which eight are common QTLs identified using the two phenotyping methods. Using colored rice accessions and phenotypes based on DPC, four QTLs were identified, and they were totally different from the QTLs identified using the whole population, suggesting the masking effects of major genes on minor genes. Compared with the previous studies, 10 out of the 15 QTLs are first reported in this study. Based on the differential expression analysis of the predicted genes within the QTL region by both RNA-seq and real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and the gene functions in previous studies, LOC_Os01g49830, encoding a RAV transcription factor was considered as the candidate gene underlying qPC-1, a novel QTL with a large effect in this study. Our results provide a new insight into the genetic basis of PC in rice and contribute to developing the value-added rice with optimized flavonoid content through molecular breeding.

Overexpression of chalcone isomerase A gene in Astragalus trigonus for stimulating apigenin

Apigenin is one of the most studied flavonoids and is widely distributed in the plant kingdom. Apigenin exerts important antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antitumor activities, and anti-inflammatory effects in neurological or cardiovascular disease. Chalcone isomerase A (chiA) is an important enzyme of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. In order to enhance the apigenin production, the petunia chi A gene was transformed for Astragalus trigonus. Bialaphos survived plants were screened by PCR, dot blot hybridization and RT-PCR analysis. Also, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, chitosan and yeast extract were tested to evaluate their capacity to work as elicitors for apigenin. Results showed that yeast extract was the best elicitor for induction of apigenin with an increase of 3.458 and 3.9 fold of the control for calli and cell suspension culture, respectively. Transformed cell suspension showed high apigenin content with a 20.17 fold increase compared to the control and 6.88 fold more than the yeast extract treatment. While, transformed T1 calli derived expressing chiA gene produced apigenin 4.2 fold more than the yeast extract treatment. It can be concluded that the highest accumulation of apigenin was obtained with chiA transgenic cell suspension system and it can be utilized to enhancement apigenin production in Astragalus trigonus.

Untargeted metabotyping to study phenylpropanoid diversity in crop plants

Plant genebanks constitute a key resource for breeding to ensure crop yield under changing environmental conditions. Because of their roles in a range of stress responses, phenylpropanoids are promising targets. Phenylpropanoids comprise a wide array of metabolites; however, studies regarding their diversity and the underlying genes are still limited for cereals. The assessment of barley diversity via genotyping-by-sequencing is in rapid progress. Exploring these resources by integrating genetic association studies to in-depth metabolomic profiling provides a valuable opportunity to study barley phenylpropanoid metabolism; but poses a challenge by demanding large-scale approaches. Here, we report an LC-PDA-MS workflow for barley high-throughput metabotyping. Without prior construction of a species-specific library, this method produced phenylpropanoid-enriched metabotypes with which the abundance of putative metabolic features was assessed across hundreds of samples in a single-processed data matrix. The robustness of the analytical performance was tested using a standard mix and extracts from two selected cultivars: Scarlett and Barke. The large-scale analysis of barley extracts showed (1) that barley flag leaf profiles were dominated by glycosylation derivatives of isovitexin, isoorientin, and isoscoparin; (2) proved the workflow's capability to discriminate within genotypes; (3) highlighted the role of glycosylation in barley phenylpropanoid diversity. Using the barley S42IL mapping population, the workflow proved useful for metabolic quantitative trait loci purposes. The protocol can be readily applied not only to explore the barley phenylpropanoid diversity represented in genebanks but also to study species whose profiles differ from those of cereals: the crop Helianthus annuus (sunflower) and the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

Biochemical and Molecular Characterization of the Rice Chalcone Isomerase Family

Chalcone isomerase (CHI) is a key enzyme in flavonoid biosynthesis. In plants, CHIs occur in multigene families, and they are divided into four types, types I-IV. Type I and II CHIs are bona fide CHIs with CHI activity, and type III and IV CHIs are non-catalytic members with different functions. Rice contains seven CHI family genes (OsCHIs). Molecular analysis suggested that OsCHI3 is a type I CHI, and the other OsCHIs were classified into types III and IV. To elucidate their biochemical functions, OsCHI1, OsCHI3, OsCHI6, and OsCHI7 were expressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant OsCHI proteins were purified. An activity assay of recombinant OsCHIs showed that OsCHI3 catalyzed the isomerization of naringenin chalcone and isoliquiritigenin, whereas the other recombinant OsCHIs had no CHI activity. OsCHI3 also exhibited a strong preference to naringenin chalcone compared to isoliquiritigenin, which agrees well with the catalytic properties of type I CHIs. These results ascertain OsCHI3 to be a bona fide CHI in rice. OsCHI3 and the other OsCHIs were expressed constitutively throughout the rice growth period and different tissues. OsCHI3 expression was induced immediately in response to ultra-violet (UV) stress, suggesting its involvement in the biosynthesis of sakuranetin, a flavonoid phytoalexin in rice.

OsMYB3 is a R2R3-MYB gene responsible for anthocyanin biosynthesis in black rice

Black rice is a rare type of rice germplasm with various health benefits that are largely attributed to anthocyanin pigment accumulation in the pericarps. The anthocyanin biosynthesis in plant tissues is activated mainly by the MBW complexes, consisting of three types of transcription factors R2R3-MYB, bHLH, and WDR. In black rice, the bHLH and WDR components regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis in pericarps have been characterized, while the R2R3-MYB factor remains unknown. By examining the expression correlation between all putative rice MYB genes and anthocyanin biosynthesis-related genes based on transcriptome data of pericarps in combination with further molecular and genetic analysis, we proved that OsMYB3 (LOC_Os03g29614) was the determinant R2R3-MYB gene for anthocyanin biosynthesis in rice pericarps. The expression level of OsMYB3 in pericarps of black rice was significantly higher than that of white rice. The knockout of OsMYB3 in a black rice variety caused significant downregulation of 19 anthocyanin metabolites and many other flavonoids in grains. Our research deepens the understanding of regulatory system for anthocyanin biosynthesis in rice pericarps and provides implications for breeding black rice varieties with high anthocyanin level.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-021-01244-x.

Manipulating a Single Transcription Factor, Ant1, Promotes Anthocyanin Accumulation in Barley Grains

Barley has abundant anthocyanin-rich accessions, which renders it an ideal model to investigate the regulatory mechanism of anthocyanin biosynthesis. This study functionally characterized two transcription factors: Ant1 and Ant2. Sequence alignment showed that the coding sequences of Ant1 and Ant2 are conserved among 11 colored hulless barley and noncolored barley varieties. The expression profiles of Ant1 and Ant2 were divergent between species, and significantly higher expression was found in two colored Qingke accessions. The co-expression of Ant1 and Ant2 resulted in purple pigmentation in transient transformation systems via the promotion of the transcription of four structural genes. Ant1 interacted with Ant2, and overexpression of Ant1 activated the transcription of Ant2. Moreover, overexpression of Ant1 led to anthocyanin accumulation in the pericarp and aleurone layer of transgenic barley grains. Overall, our results suggest that anthocyanin-enriched barley grains can be produced by manipulating Ant1 expression.

Determinant Factors and Regulatory Systems for Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Rice Apiculi and Stigmas

Anthocyanins cause purple, brown or red colors in various tissues of rice plants, but the specific determinant factors and regulatory systems for anthocyanin biosynthesis in almost all tissues remain largely unknown. In the present study, we mapped and isolated two complementary genes, OsC1 encoding a R2R3-MYB transcriptional factor and OsDFR encoding a dihydroflavonol 4-reductase, which are responsible for the purple coloration of apiculi and stigmas in indica cultivar Xieqingzao by the map-based cloning strategy. We also identified two tissue-specific pigmentation genes, OsPa for apiculi and OsPs for stigmas, by phylogenetic analysis of all anthocyanin biosynthesis-associated bHLH transcriptional factors in maize and rice, CRISPR/Cas9 knockout and transcriptional expression analysis. The OsC1, OsPa and OsPs proteins are all localized in the nucleus while the OsDFR protein is localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm, and the OsC1 and OsDFR genes are preferentially strongly expressed in both purple-colored tissues while the OsPa and OsPs genes are preferentially strongly expressed in apiculi and stigmas, respectively. OsC1 specifically interacts with OsPa or OsPs to activate OsDFR and other anthocyanin biosynthesis genes, resulting in purple-colored apiculi or stigmas. OsC1 itself does not produce color but can produce brown apiculi when functioning together with OsPa. Loss of function of OsDFR alone leads to brown apiculi and straw-white stigmas. Genotyping and phenotyping of a panel of 176 rice accessions revealed diverse genotypic combinations of OsC1, OsDFR, OsPa and OsPs that enable accurate prediction of their apiculus and stigma pigmentation phenotypes, thus validating the general applicability of the OsC1-OsDFR-OsPa and OsC1-OsDFR-OsPs models to natural populations. Our findings disclosed the biological functions of OsC1, OsPa and OsPs, and shed light on the specific regulatory systems of anthocyanin biosynthesis in apiculi and stigmas, a further step in understanding the regulatory network of anthocyanin biosynthesis in rice.

Computational and Transcriptomic Analysis Unraveled OsMATE34 as a Putative Anthocyanin Transporter in Black Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Caryopsis

Anthocyanin is a flavonoid compound with potential antioxidant properties beneficial to human health and sustains plant growth and development under different environmental stresses. In black rice, anthocyanin can be found in the stems, leaves, stigmas, and caryopsis. Although the anthocyanin biosynthesis in rice has been extensively studied, limited knowledge underlying the storage mechanism and transporters is available. This study undertook the complementation of computational and transcriptome analysis to decipher a potential multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) gene candidate for anthocyanin transportation in black rice caryopsis. The phylogenetic analysis showed that OsMATE34 has the same evolutionary history and high similarities with VvAM1, VvAM3, MtMATE2, SlMATE/MTP77, RsMATE8, AtFFT, and AtTT12 involved in anthocyanin transportation. RNA sequencing analysis in black caryopsis (Bc; Bc11, Bc18, Bc25) and white caryopsis (Wc; Wc11, Wc18, Wc25), respectively, at 11 days after flowering (DAF), 18 DAF, and 25 DAF revealed a total of 36,079 expressed genes, including 33,157 known genes and 2922 new genes. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) showed 15,573 genes commonly expressed, with 1804 and 1412 genes uniquely expressed in Bc and Wc, respectively. Pairwise comparisons showed 821 uniquely expressed genes out of 15,272 DEGs for Wc11 vs. Bc11, 201 uniquely expressed genes out of 16,240 DEGs for Wc18 vs. Bc18, and 2263 uniquely expressed genes out of 16,240 DEGs for Wc25 vs. Bc25. Along with anthocyanin biosynthesis genes (OsPAL, OsCHS, OsCHI, OsF3H, OsDFR, OsANS, and OsUFGT/Os3GT), OsMATE34 expression was significantly upregulated in all Bc but not in Wc. OsMATE34 expression was similar to OsGSTU34, a transporter of anthocyanin in rice leaves. Taken together, our results highlighted OsMATE34 (Os08g0562800) as a candidate anthocyanin transporter in rice caryopsis. This study provides a new finding and a clue to enhance the accumulation of anthocyanin in rice caryopsis.

Bioactive Components in Oat and Barley Grain as a Promising Breeding Trend for Functional Food Production

Cereal crops, such as oats and barley, possess a number of valuable properties that meet the requirements for functional diet components. This review summarized the available information about bioactive compounds of oat and barley grain. The results of studying the structure and physicochemical properties of the cell wall polysaccharides of barley and oat are presented. The main components of the flavonoids formation pathway are shown and data, concerning anthocyanins biosynthesis in various barley tissues, are discussed. Moreover, we analyzed the available information about structural and regulatory genes of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Hordeum vulgare L. genome, including β-glucan biosynthesis genes in Avena sativa L species. However, there is not enough knowledge about the genes responsible for biosynthesis of β-glucans and corresponding enzymes and plant polyphenols. The review also covers contemporary studies about collections of oat and barley genetic resources held by the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR). This review intended to provide information on the processes of biosynthesis of biologically active compounds in cereals that will promote further researches devoted to transcription factors controlling expression of structural genes and their role in other physiological processes in higher plants. Found achievements will allow breeders to create new highly productive varieties with the desirable properties.

Convergent recruitment of 5'-hydroxylase activities by CYP75B flavonoid B-ring hydroxylases for tricin biosynthesis in Medicago legumes

Tricin (3',5'-dimethoxylated flavone) is a predominant flavonoid amongst monocots but occurs only in isolated and unrelated dicot lineages. Although tricin biosynthesis has been intensively studied in monocots, it has remained largely elusive in tricin-accumulating dicots. We investigated a subgroup of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 75B subfamily flavonoid B-ring hydroxylases (FBHs) from two tricin-accumulating legumes, Medicago truncatula and alfalfa (Medicago sativa), by phylogenetic, molecular, biochemical and mutant analyses. Five Medicago cytochrome P450 CYP75B FBHs are phylogenetically distant from other legume CYP75B members. Among them, MtFBH-4, MsFBH-4 and MsFBH-10 were expressed in tricin-accumulating vegetative tissues. In vitro and in planta analyses demonstrated that these proteins catalyze 3'- and 5'-hydroxylations critical to tricin biosynthesis. A key amino acid polymorphism, T492G, at their substrate recognition site 6 domain is required for the novel 5'-hydroxylation activities. Medicago truncatula mtfbh-4 mutants were tricin-deficient, indicating that MtFBH-4 is indispensable for tricin biosynthesis. Our results revealed that these Medicago legumes had acquired the tricin pathway through molecular evolution of CYP75B FBHs subsequent to speciation from other nontricin-accumulating legumes. Moreover, their evolution is independent of that of grass-specific CYP75B apigenin 3'-hydroxylases/chrysoeriol 5'-hydroxylases dedicated to tricin production and Asteraceae CYP75B flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylases catalyzing the production of delphinidin-based pigments.

Genetic polymorphisms in mutagenesis progeny of Arabidopsis thaliana irradiated by carbon-ion beams and γ-rays irradiations

Purpose: Heavy-ion beams and γ-rays are popular physical mutagenesis to generate mutations in higher plants. It has been found that they show different mutation frequencies and spectrums of phenotype induction, however, the characteristics of heavy-ion beams on genetic polymorphism have not been clarified by comparing with γ-rays.Materials and methods: In the present study, seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana were exposed to carbon-ion beams (with linear energy transfer (LET) of 50 keV/μm) and γ-rays (with average LET of 0.2 keV/μm) irradiation. By using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, the genetic polymorphism of both M₁ and M₃ plants were investigated, respectively.Results: Carbon-ion beams induced relatively higher polymorphism rate in both M₁ and M₃ generation than γ-rays: the polymorphism rates of M₁ plants derived from carbon-ion beams irradiation are 12.87% (ISSR-C) and 9.01% (RAPD-C), while are 7.67% (ISSR-γ) and 1.45% (RAPD-γ) of plants derived from γ-rays. In M₃ generation, the polymorphism rates of ISSR-C, RAPD-C, ISSR-γ, and RAPD-γ are 17.64%, 22.79%, 12.10%, and 2.82%, respectively.Conclusions: In summary, the exposure to carbon-ion beams and γ-rays lead to the change of genomic DNA of A. thaliana, which could be tested in M₁ plants and M₃ plants by ISSR and RAPD technology. So, both carbon-ion beams and γ-rays can induce variations of genetic polymorphisms in M₁ plants and M₃ plants. The genetic polymorphisms of M₁ plants and M₃ plants induced by carbon-ion beams are higher than γ-rays, indicating that heavy-ion beams irradiations mutation breeding is more advantageous than conventional ionizing radiations. Average molecular polymorphism of M₁ plants is lower than M₃ mutants, by nearly 4.77% (ISSR-C), 13.78% (RAPD-C), 4.43% (ISSR-γ), and 1.37% (RAPD-γ). We hope our study will provide basic information for understanding the effects of carbon-ion beams and γ-rays for plant mutation breeding.

Functional and genomic characterization of a wound- and methyl jasmonate-inducible chalcone isomerase in Eremochloa ophiuroides [Munro] Hack

Eremochloa ophiuroides, a perennial warm-season lawn grass, has a characteristic phenotype of red pigmentation in tissues during maturation. The putative gene families associated with the red coloration were previously identified in E. ophiuroides. These genes encode chalcone synthases, flavonol 3-hydroxylases, and flavonol 3'-hydroxylases, acting on the early flavonoid-biosynthesis pathway. Here, a type-I chalcone isomerase (CHI) gene was isolated from E. ophiuroides based on leaf-transcriptome data, and the corresponding enzyme was functionally characterized in vitro and in planta. Complementation of Arabidopsis tt5 mutants by overexpressing EoCHI recapitulated the wild-type seed coat color. Wounding and methyl jasmonate treatments significantly elevated the transcript level of EoCHI and total anthocyanin content in shoots. Confocal microscopy indicated the localization of EoCHI to the endoplasmic reticulum. The genomic EoCHI sequence contained two introns with a novel pattern of exon‒intron organization. Further examinations on genomic structures of CHI family from ancient to advanced plant lineages should be of interests to decipher evolutionary pathways of extant plant CHI genes.

Mapping and Identifying a Candidate Gene Plr4, a Recessive Gene Regulating Purple Leaf in Rice, by Using Bulked Segregant and Transcriptome Analysis with Next-Generation Sequencing

The anthocyanin biosynthesis of rice is a major concern due to the potential nutritional value. Purple appears in various organs and tissues of rice such as pericarp, flower organs, leaves, leaf sheaths, internodes, ligules, apex, and stigma. At present, there are many studies on the color of rice pericarp, but the gene and mechanism of other organs such as leaves are still unclear, and the gene regulatory network of specific organ coloring has not been systematically understood. In this study, genetic analysis demonstrated that the purple leaf traits of rice were regulated by a recessive gene. The green leaf cultivar Y58S and purple leaf cultivar XianHongB were used to construct the mapping population. A set of near isogenicline (NIL) (BC₃F₁) was bred via crossing and back-crossing. The generations of BC₃F₂ appeared to separate four phenotypes, pl1, pl2, pl3, and pl4, due to the occurrence of a purple color in different organs. We constructed three bulked segregant analysis (BSA) pools (pl1-pl2, pl1-pl3, and pl1-pl4) by using the separated generations of BC₃F₅ and mapped the purple leaf gene plr4 to the vicinity of 27.9-31.1 Mb on chromosome 4. Subsequently, transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) for pl3 and pl2 was used to analyze the differentially expressed genes in the localization interval, where 12 unigenes exhibited differential expression in which two genes (Os04g0577800, Os04g0616400) were downregulated. The two downregulated genes (Os04g0577800 and Os04g0616400) are possible candidate genes because of the recessive genetic characteristics of the purple leaf genes. These results will facilitate the cloning of plr4 and illustrate the molecular mechanisms of the anthocyanin synthesis pathway.

Transcriptome and Proteome Profiling of Different Colored Rice Reveals Physiological Dynamics Involved in the Flavonoid Pathway

Black and red rice are rich in both anthocyanin and proanthocyanin content, which belong to a large class of flavonoids derived from a group of phenolic secondary metabolites. However, the molecular pathways and mechanisms underlying the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway are far from clear. Therefore, this study was undertaken to gain insight into physiological factors that are involved in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway in rice cultivars with red, black, and white colors. RNA sequencing of caryopsis and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) analyses have generated a nearly complete catalog of mRNA and expressed proteins in different colored rice cultivars. A total of 31,700 genes were identified, of which 3417, 329, and 227 genes were found specific for red, white, and black rice, respectively. A total of 13,996 unique peptides corresponding to 3916 proteins were detected in the proteomes of black, white, and red rice. Coexpression network analyses of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) among the different rice cultivars showed significant differences in photosynthesis and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways. Based on a differential enrichment analysis, 32 genes involved in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway were detected, out of which only CHI, F3H, ANS, and FLS were detected by iTRAQ. Taken together, the results point to differences in flavonoid biosynthesis pathways among different colored rice cultivars, which may reflect differences in physiological functions. The differences in contents and types of flavonoids among the different colored rice cultivars are related to changes in base sequences of Os06G0162500, Os09G0455500, Os09G0455500, and Os10G0536400. Current findings expand and deepen our understanding of flavonoid biosynthesis and concurrently provides potential candidate genes for improving the nutritional qualities of rice.

Genetic and Phytochemical Characterization of Lettuce Flavonoid Biosynthesis Mutants

We previously developed red lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivars with high flavonoid and phenolic acid content and demonstrated their anti-diabetic effect. Here we report on developing three fertile and true-breeding lettuce lines enriched with flavonoids with reported beneficial health effects. These lines were identified in a segregating population of EMS-mutagenized red lettuce and characterized biochemically and genetically. Change in red coloration was used as a visual indicator of a mutation in a flavonoid pathway gene, leading to accumulation of flavonoid precursors of red anthocyanins. Pink-green kaempferol overproducing kfoA and kfoB mutants accumulated kaempferol to 0.6-1% of their dry weight, higher than in any vegetable reported. The yellow-green naringenin chalcone overproducing mutant (nco) accumulated naringenin chalcone, not previously reported in lettuce, to 1% dry weight, a level only observed in tomato peel. Kfo plants carried a mutation in the FLAVONOID-3' HYDROXYLASE (F3'H) gene, nco in CHALCONE ISOMERASE (CHI). This work demonstrates how non-GMO approaches can transform a common crop plant into a functional food with possible health benefits.

Identification of candidate genes for gelatinization temperature, gel consistency and pericarp color by GWAS in rice based on SLAF-sequencing

Rice is an important cereal in the world. The study of the genetic basis of important agronomic traits in rice landraces and identification of genes will facilitate the breed improvement. Gelatinization temperature (GT), gel consistency (GC) and pericarp color (PC) are important indices of rice cooking and eating quality evaluation and potential nutritional importance, which attract wide attentions in the application of genetic and breeding. To dissect the genetic basis of GT, GC and PC, a total of 419 rice landraces core germplasm collections consisting of 330 indica lines, 78 japonica lines and 11 uncertain varieties were planted, collected, then GT, GC, PC were measured for two years, and sequenced using specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) technology. In this study, 261,385,070 clean reads and 56,768 polymorphic SLAF tags were obtained, which a total of 211,818 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were discovered. With 208,993 SNPs meeting the criterion of minor allele frequency (MAF) > 0.05 and integrity> 0.5, the phylogenetic tree and population structure analysis were performed for all 419 rice landraces, and the whole panel mainly separated into six subpopulations based on population structure analysis. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) was carried out for the whole panel, indica subpanel and japonica subpanel with subset SNPs respectively. One quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 6 for GT was detected in the whole panel and indica subpanel, and one QTL associated with GC was located on chromosome 6 in the whole panel and indica subpanel. For the PC trait, 8 QTLs were detected in the whole panel on chromosome 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10 and 11, and 7 QTLs in the indica subpanel on chromosome 3, 4, 7, 8, 10 and 11. For the three traits, no QTL was detected in japonica subpanel, probably because of the polymorphism repartition between the subpanel, or small population size of japonica subpanel. This paper provides new gene resources and insights into the molecular mechanisms of important agricultural trait of rice phenotypic variation and genetic improvement of rice quality variety breeding.

Regulation of the Flavonoid Biosynthesis Pathway Genes in Purple and Black Grains of Hordeum vulgare

Barley grain at maturity can have yellow, purple, blue, and black pigmentations which are suggested to play a protective role under stress conditions. The first three types of the colors are caused by phenolic compounds flavonoids; the last one is caused by phytomelanins, oxidized and polymerized phenolic compounds. Although the genetic basis of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway in barley has been thoroughly studied, there is no data yet on its regulation in purple and black barley grains. In the current study, genetic model of Hordeum vulgare ‘Bowman’ near-isogenic lines (NILs) was used to investigate the regulation of the flavonoid biosynthesis in white, purple, and black barley grains. Microsatellite genotyping revealed donor segments in the purple- and black-grained lines on chromosomes 2H (in region of the Ant2 gene determining purple color of grains) and 1H (in region of the Blp gene determining black lemma and pericarp), respectively. The isolated dominant Ant2 allele of the purple-grained line has high level of sequence similarity with the recessive Bowman’s ant2 in coding region, whereas an insertion of 179 bp was detected in promoter region of ant2. This structural divergence between Ant2 and ant2 alleles may underlie their different expression in grain pericarp: Bowman’s Ant2 is not transcribed, whereas it was up-regulated in the purple-grained line with coordinately co-expressed flavonoid biosynthesis structural genes (Chs, Chi, F3h, F3’h, Dfr, Ans). This led to total anthocyain content increase in purple-grained line identified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Collectively, these results proved the regulatory function of the Ant2 gene in anthocyanin biosynthesis in barley grain pericarp. In the black-grained line, the specific transcriptional regulation of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway genes was not detected, suggesting that flavonoid pigments are not involved in development of black lemma and pericarp trait.

Systems Genetic Validation of the SNP-Metabolite Association in Rice Via Metabolite-Pathway-Based Phenome-Wide Association Scans

In the post-GWAS (Genome-Wide Association Scan) era, the interpretation of GWAS results is crucial to screen for highly relevant phenotype-genotype association pairs. Based on the single genotype-phenotype association test and a pathway enrichment analysis, we propose a Metabolite-pathway-based Phenome-Wide Association Scan (M-PheWAS) to analyze the key metabolite-SNP pairs in rice and determine the regulatory relationship by assessing similarities in the changes of enzymes and downstream products in a pathway. Two SNPs, sf0315305925 and sf0315308337, were selected using this approach, and their molecular function and regulatory relationship with Enzyme EC:5.5.1.6 and with flavonoids, a significant downstream regulatory metabolite product, were demonstrated. Moreover, a total of 105 crucial SNPs were screened using M-PheWAS, which may be important for metabolite associations.

Genetic linkage facilitates cloning of Ert-m regulating plant architecture in barley and identified a strong candidate of Ant1 involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis

The erectoides-m anthocyanin-less 1 (ert-m ant1) double mutants are among the very few examples of induced double mutants in barley. From phenotypic observations of mutant plants it is known that the Ert-m gene product regulates plant architecture whereas the Ant1 gene product is involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis. We used a near-isogenic line of the cultivar Bowman, BW316 (ert-m.34), to create four F2-mapping populations by crosses to the barley cultivars Barke, Morex, Bowman and Quench. We phenotyped and genotyped 460 plants, allowing the ert-m mutation to be mapped to an interval of 4.7 cM on the short arm of barley chromosome 7H. Bioinformatic searches identified 21 candidate gene models in the mapped region. One gene was orthologous to a regulator of Arabidopsis thaliana plant architecture, ERECTA, encoding a leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase. Sequencing of HvERECTA in barley ert-m mutant accessions identified severe DNA changes in 15 mutants, including full gene deletions in ert-m.40 and ert-m.64. Both deletions, additionally causing anthocyanin deficiency, were found to stretch over a large region including two putative candidate genes for the anthocyanin biosynthesis locus Ant1. Analyses of ert-m and ant1 single- and double-deletion mutants suggest Ant1 as a closely linked gene encoding a R2R3 myeloblastosis transcription factor.

Barley Ant17, encoding flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H), is a promising target locus for attaining anthocyanin/proanthocyanidin-free plants without pleiotropic reduction of grain dormancy

Preharvest sprouting is a serious problem in grain crop production because it causes quality deterioration and economic losses. It is well known that grain colour is closely associated with grain dormancy in wheat; white-grained lines without accumulating proanthocyanidins in testa tend to be more susceptible to preharvest sprouting than red ones. All available white-grained wheat lines are restricted to triple recessive mutations at the R loci (R-A1, R-B1, and R-D1), but barley is known to have 11 independent loci conferring the proanthocyanidin-free grain phenotype. In this study, we evaluated the dormancy levels of anthocyanin/proanthocyanidin-free ant17 mutants. Three ant17 mutants showed the same levels of dormancy as their respective wild types. Sequencing of three independent ant17 alleles detected a point mutation within the coding regions of flavanone-3-hydroxylase (F3H), which are predicted to cause a premature stop codon at different sites. The F3H locus completely cosegregated with the Ant17 position on the chromosome arm 2HL. Expression of the barley F3H gene was observed in pigmented tissues, but not in nonpigmented roots and stems. This result indicates that wheat F3H may be a promising new target locus for breeding white-grained lines with a practical level of preharvest sprouting resistance.

Molecular cloning, expression, and evolution analysis of type II CHI gene from peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Chalcone isomerase (CHI) plays critical roles in plant secondary metabolism, which is important for the interaction between plants and the environment. CHI genes are widely studied in various higher plants. However, little information about CHI genes is available in peanut. Based on conservation of CHI gene family, we cloned the peanut type II CHI gene (AhCHI II) cDNA and genome sequence. The amino acid sequence of peanut CHI II was highly homologous to type II CHI from other plant species. qRT-PCR results showed that peanut CHI II is mainly expressed in roots; however, peanut CHI I is mainly expressed in tissues with high content of anthocyanin. Gene duplication and gene cluster analysis indicated that CHI II was derived from CHI I 65 million years ago approximately. Our gene structure analysis results are not in agreement with the previous hypothesis that CHI II was derived from CHI I by the insertion of an intron into the first exon. Moreover, no positive selection pressure was found in CHIs, while, 32.1 % of sites were under neutral selection, which may lead to mutation accumulation and fixation during great changes of environment.

Isolation of candidate genes for the barley Ant1 and wheat Rc genes controlling anthocyanin pigmentation in different vegetative tissues

MYB transcription factors exist in a large copy number and control various plant phenotypes. We cloned R2R3 MYB-type transcription factors that determine the coloration of basal sheaths in barley and wheat coleoptiles. These genes are highly homologous to maize C1 and rice OsC1, regulators for anthocyanin biosynthesis, but they control seed pigmentation in maize and rice. On the basis of high homology, barley and wheat counterparts are designated HvC1 and TaC1, respectively. HvC1 gene is located on the short arm of chromosome 7H, and TaC1 genes are located on the short arms of chromosomes 7A, 7B, and 7D (TaC1-A1, B1, and D1, respectively). HvC1 is a strong candidate for Ant1 because of (1) complete co-segregation of anthocyanin pigmentation phenotype of the basal sheath with the HvC1 genotype in genetic mapping, and (2) complete deletion of the HvCl gene in two anthocyanin-decreased allelic mutants (ant1.1 and ant1.2) that were induced by irradiation. In contrast, colorless coleoptile wheat lines had lesions in all three genomes consisting of a single-nucleotide substitution or a 1-bp deletion of TaC1-A1, a 1.7-kb insertion of TaC1-B1, and a 2.0-kb insertion of TaC1-D1. At least one normal TaC1 gene appears to be sufficient to produce anthocyanin pigments in wheat coleoptiles. Previous crossing experiments localized Rc (red coleoptile) genes to homoeologous group 7 chromosomes and deduced Rc genotypes of several wheat lines. Their TaC1 gene sequence variation coincided with deduced Rc genotypes; therefore, the present molecular genetic study demonstrates that TaC1 is a strong candidate for Rc in wheat.

Structure, expression profile and phylogenetic inference of chalcone isomerase-like genes from the narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) genome

Lupins, like other legumes, have a unique biosynthesis scheme of 5-deoxy-type flavonoids and isoflavonoids. A key enzyme in this pathway is chalcone isomerase (CHI), a member of CHI-fold protein family, encompassing subfamilies of CHI1, CHI2, CHI-like (CHIL), and fatty acid-binding (FAP) proteins. Here, two Lupinus angustifolius (narrow-leafed lupin) CHILs, LangCHIL1 and LangCHIL2, were identified and characterized using DNA fingerprinting, cytogenetic and linkage mapping, sequencing and expression profiling. Clones carrying CHIL sequences were assembled into two contigs. Full gene sequences were obtained from these contigs, and mapped in two L. angustifolius linkage groups by gene-specific markers. Bacterial artificial chromosome fluorescence in situ hybridization approach confirmed the localization of two LangCHIL genes in distinct chromosomes. The expression profiles of both LangCHIL isoforms were very similar. The highest level of transcription was in the roots of the third week of plant growth; thereafter, expression declined. The expression of both LangCHIL genes in leaves and stems was similar and low. Comparative mapping to reference legume genome sequences revealed strong syntenic links; however, LangCHIL2 contig had a much more conserved structure than LangCHIL1. LangCHIL2 is assumed to be an ancestor gene, whereas LangCHIL1 probably appeared as a result of duplication. As both copies are transcriptionally active, questions arise concerning their hypothetical functional divergence. Screening of the narrow-leafed lupin genome and transcriptome with CHI-fold protein sequences, followed by Bayesian inference of phylogeny and cross-genera synteny survey, identified representatives of all but one (CHI1) main subfamilies. They are as follows: two copies of CHI2, FAPa2 and CHIL, and single copies of FAPb and FAPa1. Duplicated genes are remnants of whole genome duplication which is assumed to have occurred after the divergence of Lupinus, Arachis, and Glycine.

Physiological factors affecting transcription of genes involved in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway in different rice varieties

Flavonoids play an important role in the grain color and flavor of rice. Since their characterization in maize, the flavonoid biosynthetic genes have been extensively studied in grape, Arabidopsis, and Petunia. However, we are still a long way from understanding the molecular features and mechanisms underlying the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. The present study was undertaken to understand the physiological factors affecting the transcription and regulation of these genes. We report that the expression of CHI, CHS, DFR, LAR, and ANS, the 5 flavonoid biosynthetic genes in different rice varieties, differ dramatically with respect to the stage of development, white light, and sugar concentrations. We further demonstrate that white light could induce the transcription of the entire flavonoid biosynthetic gene pathway; however, differences were observed in the degrees of sensitivity and the required illumination time. Our study provides valuable insights into understanding the regulation of the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway.

Regulation, evolution, and functionality of flavonoids in cereal crops

Flavonoids are plant secondary metabolites that contribute to the adaptation of plants to environmental stresses, including resistance to abiotic and biotic stress. Flavonoids are also beneficial for human health and depress the progression of some chronic diseases. The biosynthesis of flavonoids, which belong to a large family of phenolic compounds, is a complex metabolic process with many pathways that produce different metabolites, controlled by key enzymes. There is limited knowledge about the composition, biosynthesis and regulation of flavonoids in cereals. Improved understanding of the accumulation of flavonoids in cereal grains would help to improve human nutrition through these staple foods. The biosynthesis of flavonoids, scope for altering the flavonoid composition in cereal crops and benefits for human nutrition are reviewed here.

A mutation in the rice chalcone isomerase gene causes the golden hull and internode 1 phenotype

The biosynthesis of flavonoids, important secondary plant metabolites, has been investigated extensively, but few mutants of genes in this pathway have been identified in rice (Oryza sativa). The rice gold hull and internode (gh) mutants exhibit a reddish-brown pigmentation in the hull and internode and their phenotype has long been used as a morphological marker trait for breeding and genetic study. Here, we characterized that the gh1 mutant was a mutant of the rice chalcone isomerase gene (OsCHI). The result showed that gh1 had a Dasheng retrotransposon inserted in the 5′ UTR of the OsCHI gene, which resulted in the complete loss of OsCHI expression. gh1 exhibited golden pigmentation in hulls and internodes once the panicles were exposed to light. The total flavonoid content in gh1 hulls was increased threefold compared to wild type. Consistent with the gh1 phenotype, OsCHI transcripts were expressed in most tissues of rice and most abundantly in internodes. It was also expressed at high levels in panicles before heading, distributed mainly in lemmas and paleae, but its expression decreased substantially after the panicles emerged from the sheath. OsCHI encodes a protein functionally and structurally conserved to chalcone isomerases in other species. Our findings demonstrated that the OsCHI gene was indispensable for flux of the flavonoid pathway in rice.

Molecular cloning and function assay of a chalcone isomerase gene (GbCHI) from Ginkgo biloba

Chalcone isomerase (CHI, EC 5.5.1.6) is one of the key enzymes in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway catalyzing the stereospecific isomerization of chalcones into their corresponding (2S)-flavanones. In this investigation, both the cDNA sequence and the genomic sequence encoding the chalcone isomerase from Ginkgo biloba L. (designated as GbCHI) were isolated from the leaves. The GbCHI gene contained two introns and three extrons and encoded a peptide of 244 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 26.29 kDa and a pI of 7.76. RQPCR showed that GbCHI was expressed in a tissue-specific manner in G. biloba. Expression of GbCHI was also up-regulated by UV-B irradiation or treatment with 5-aminolevulinic acid or three plant growth regulator-ethylene, abscisic acid, and chlormequat-and these effects were consistent with analysis of the GbCHI promoter region. The recombinant protein was successfully expressed in an E.coli strain with the pET-28a vector. In vitro enzyme activity, assayed by HPLC, indicated that recombinant GbCHI protein could catalyze the formation of naringenin from 6'-hydroxychalcone. RQPCR analysis showed that CHI activity correlated with changes in transcription level of the CHI gene, GbCHI activity was also positively correlated with total flavonoid levels in ginkgo leaves, suggesting CHI as a key gene regulating flavonoid accumulation in ginkgo leaves.

Exploiting induced variation to dissect quantitative traits in barley

The identification of genes underlying complex quantitative traits such as grain yield by means of conventional genetic analysis (positional cloning) requires the development of several large mapping populations. However, it is possible that phenotypically related, but more extreme, allelic variants generated by mutational studies could provide a means for more efficient cloning of QTLs (quantitative trait loci). In barley (Hordeum vulgare), with the development of high-throughput genome analysis tools, efficient genome-wide identification of genetic loci harbouring mutant alleles has recently become possible. Genotypic data from NILs (near-isogenic lines) that carry induced or natural variants of genes that control aspects of plant development can be compared with the location of QTLs to potentially identify candidate genes for development­-related traits such as grain yield. As yield itself can be divided into a number of allometric component traits such as tillers per plant, kernels per spike and kernel size, mutant alleles that both affect these traits and are located within the confidence intervals for major yield QTLs may represent extreme variants of the underlying genes. In addition, the development of detailed comparative genomic models based on the alignment of a high-density barley gene map with the rice and sorghum physical maps, has enabled an informed prioritization of ‘known function’ genes as candidates for both QTLs and induced mutant genes.

Elaboration of a reliable strategy based on real-time PCR to characterize genetically modified plantlets and to evaluate the efficiency of a marker gene removal in grape (Vitis spp.)

We have developed an effective strategy based on real-time PCR assay for the molecular characterization of genetically modified grape and to quantify the efficiency of a marker gene removal. This research has been implemented in Vitis vinifera cv. Brachetto plantlets where exogenes were inserted during cocultures of embryogenic calli with Agrobacterium tumefaciens carrying the chemically inducible site-specific cre/loxP pX6 vector where the expression of the cre recombinase is regulated by 17-beta-estradiol. The neomycin phosphotransferase gene (nptII) for the kanamycin resistance trait was inserted as part of the gene transfer protocol, and this exogene was employed as a case study for carrying out our research. The 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (nced2) and chalcone isomerase (chi) genes coding for two enzymes, involved respectively in abscisic acid and flavonoid biosynthesis, proved to be valuable reference endogenes for real-time PCR assays. Two types of duplo-target plasmids were exploited for building the standard curves: in one type (p-nptII/nced2) the nptII sequence is linked to the nced2 sequence; in the other (p-nptII/chi) it is linked to the chi. These calibrators were intended to simulate an ideal genetically modified plant carrying a homozygous single-copy exogene insertion. The repeatability test confirmed the suitability of both plasmid calibrators. Foreign gene stability can be monitored during long-term plant preservation, and the method proved to be suitable for quantifying the efficiency of nptII gene removal induced by 17-beta-estradiol.

Functional characterization of key structural genes in rice flavonoid biosynthesis

Rice is a model system for monocot but the molecular features of rice flavonoid biosynthesis have not been extensively characterized. Rice structural gene homologs encoding chalcone synthase (CHS), chalcone isomerase (CHI), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H), flavonoid 3'-hydroxylase (F3'H), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR), and anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) were identified by homology searches. Unique differential expression of OsF3H, OsDFR, and OsANS1 controlled by the Pl(w) locus, which contains the R/B-type regulatory genes OSB1 and OSB2, was demonstrated during light-induced anthocyanin accumulation in T65-Plw seedlings. Previously, F3H genes were often considered as early genes co-regulated with CHS and CHI genes in other plants. In selected non-pigmented rice lines, OSB2 is not expressed following illumination while their expressed OSB1sequences all contain the same nucleotide change leading to the T(64) M substitution within the conserved N-terminal interacting domain. Furthermore, the biochemical roles of the expressed rice structural genes (OsCHS1, OsCHI, OsF3H, and OsF3'H) were established in planta for the first time by complementation in the appropriate Arabidopsis transparent testa mutants. Using yeast two-hybrid analysis, OsCHS1 was demonstrated to interact physically with OsF3H, OsF3'H, OsDFR, and OsANS1, suggesting the existence of a macromolecular complex for anthocyanin biosynthesis in rice. Finally, flavones were identified as the major flavonoid class in the non-pigmented T65 seedlings in which the single-copy OsF3H gene was not expressed. Competition between flavone and anthocyanin pathways was evidenced by the significant reduction of tricin accumulation in the T65-Plw seedlings.

From analysis of mutants to genetic engineering

This chapter describes the research of developing transgenic barley for synthesis of recombinant proteins with practical significance and of metabolic engineering of proanthocyanidin-free barley. The results were obtained by graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and visiting scientists at the Carlsberg Laboratory from 1972-1996 and during the past ten years at Washington State University. It is written in appreciation of their enthusiasm, skill, and perseverance.

Cloning of a cDNA encoding the Saussurea medusa chalcone isomerase and its expression in transgenic tobacco

Chalcone isomerase (CHI; EC 5.5.1.6) is a key enzyme in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. We isolated a CHI gene (SmCHI) from a cDNA library derived from Saussurea medusa (Asteraceae) cell cultures. The cDNA and genomic sequences of SmCHI are the same; in other words, this gene is intronless. The coding region of the gene is 699 bp long, and its deduced protein consists of 232 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 24 kDa and a pI of 4.7. The deduced amino acid sequence of SmCHI shares 79.3% identity with CHI from Callistephus chinensis, a familial relative to S. medusa; this homology is higher than those with CHI's from any other plant species. A functional bioassay for SmCHI was performed by transforming Nicotiana tabacum plants in the sense or antisense orientation under the regulation of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter. Transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing sense SmCHI produced up to fivefold total flavonoids over wild-type tobacco plants, mainly due to an enhanced accumulation of rutin. Transgenic tobacco plants with antisense SmCHI accumulated smaller amounts of flavonoids; this is apparently brought about by suppressed expression of the endogenous CHI gene. CHI activities also positively correlated with the amounts of total flavonoids accumulated in the transgenic plants. It is concluded that overexpression of SmCHI can be used as a useful approach to increase flavonoid production in transgenic plants.