Lv Pin, Li Na, Liu Hui, Gu Huihui, Zhao Wen-En
School of Chemical Engineering and Energy, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, PR China.
Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan 450009, PR China.
Food Chem. 2015 May 1;174:52-9. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.11.022. Epub 2014 Nov 8.
Changes in carotenoid profiles during fruit ripening were investigated in four watermelon cultivars: red-fleshed "CN66", pink-fleshed "CN62", yellow-fleshed "ZXG381" and white-fleshed "ZXG507". The expression pattern of twelve genes (GGPS, PSY, PSY-A, PDS, ZDS, CRTISO, LCYB, CHYB, ZEP, NCED1, NCED2 and NCED3) was analysed. In "CN66" and "CN62", lycopene appeared at 12 DAP and became a main carotenoid increased at the later stages. The transcript levels of carotenogenic genes in "CN66" sharply increased during 18-30 DAP, and concomitantly, fruit accumulated the massive amounts of carotenoids. In "ZXG381", violaxanthin and lutein contents were positively correlated, respectively, with CHYB and ZEP transcript levels during fruit ripening. The trace amounts of carotenoids in "ZXG507" were accompanied with the low transcript levels of most biosynthetic genes. The results suggest that differential transcriptional regulation of carotenoid metabolic genes is very important in determining the amount and type of specific carotenoids accumulated during fruit development and ripening.
红肉“CN66”、粉肉“CN62”、黄肉“ZXG381”和白肉“ZXG507”。分析了十二个基因（GGPS、PSY、PSY-A、PDS、ZDS、CRTISO、LCYB、CHYB、ZEP、NCED1、NCED2和NCED3）的表达模式。在“CN66”和“CN62”中，番茄红素在花后天数12天时出现，并在后期成为主要增加的类胡萝卜素。“CN66”中类胡萝卜素生成基因的转录水平在花后天数18 - 30天期间急剧增加，与此同时，果实积累了大量类胡萝卜素。在“ZXG381”中，果实成熟过程中紫黄质和叶黄素含量分别与CHYB和ZEP转录水平呈正相关。“ZXG507”中类胡萝卜素含量微量，同时大多数生物合成基因的转录水平也很低。结果表明，类胡萝卜素代谢基因的差异转录调控对于决定果实发育和成熟过程中积累的特定类胡萝卜素的数量和类型非常重要。
