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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Functional and Applied Plant Genomics
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1531574

AoMYB114 transcription factor regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis in the epidermis of tender asparagus stems

Provisionally accepted
Yanwen Li Yanwen Li 1Mengyao Li Mengyao Li 1*Zheng Guo Zheng Guo 1Junting Liu Junting Liu 1Peiran Chen Peiran Chen 1Wei Lu Wei Lu 1Chengyao Jiang Chengyao Jiang 1Jiachang Xiao Jiachang Xiao 1Fengyun Lei Fengyun Lei 2Yangxia Zheng Yangxia Zheng 1*
  • 1 College of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
  • 2 Chengdu Agriculture And Forestry Academy Of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Asparagus is a valuble vegetable, and its edible part is a tender stem. The color of the tender stem epidermis is an important trait. In particular, purple asparagus is rich in anthocyanins. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying anthocyanin accumulation in purple asparagus remains unclear. In this study, the white variety 'Jinguan' (JG), the green variety 'Fengdao 2' (FD), and the purple variety 'Jingzilu 2' (JZ) were compared using physiological and transcriptomic analysis. Cyanidin 3glucoside and cyanidin 3-rutinoside were detected as the main anthocyanins in JZ using highperformance liquid chromatography. Transcriptome data demonstrated that 4,694 and 9,427 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in the JZ versus FD and JZ versus JG control groups, respectively. These DEGs were significantly enriched in pathways associated with anthocyanin accumulation, including phenylalanine metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and flavonoid biosynthesis. A total of 29 structural genes related to anthocyanin biosynthesis were identified. The expression of these structural genes was higher in JZ than in FD and JG, thereby activating the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway. This difference in expression was confirmed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, a candidate gene, AoMYB114, was identified based on transcriptomic data. The expression of AoMYB114 was associated with anthocyanin accumulation in different tissues. Further research found that overexpression of AoMYB114 activated the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway. It promoted leaf pigment accumulation in transgenic Arabidopsis. Therefore, AoMYB114 positively regulated anthocyanin biosynthesis. This study elucidates the molecular mechanism underlying purple coloration in asparagus. It provides important insights for improving asparagus quality and for breeding high-anthocyanin varieties.

    Keywords: Asparagus officinalis L., Epidermis color, Transcriptome, Anthocyanin, MYB

    Received: 20 Nov 2024; Accepted: 07 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Li, Li, Guo, Liu, Chen, Lu, Jiang, Xiao, Lei and Zheng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Mengyao Li, College of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
    Yangxia Zheng, College of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China

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