Transcriptomic analysis of purple leaf determination in birch.

'Purple Rain', a purple cultivar of Betula pendula, has dark purple leaves throughout the vegetative period. In this study, B. pendula 'Purple Rain' was found to have a higher anthocyanidin level compared with B. pendula, Transcriptome analysis revealed numerous changes in gene expression that could be attributed to color change, including the upregulation of 2467 unigenes and the downregulation of 2299 unigenes in 'Purple Rain'. Furthermore, anthocyanidin synthesis and transcriptional regulation were altered in 'Purple Rain', which may have contributed to phenotypic changes. These results provide unique molecular insights into the biochemical pathways and regulatory networks that function in a purple variety of B. pendula.