Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China; Plant Science and Technology College, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China; Beijing Collaborative Innovation Center for Eco-environmental Improvement with Forestry and Fruit Trees, Beijing, China.
Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China; Plant Science and Technology College, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China; Beijing Collaborative Innovation Center for Eco-environmental Improvement with Forestry and Fruit Trees, Beijing, China.
Plant Physiol Biochem. 2019 Sep;142:332-341. doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2019.07.024. Epub 2019 Jul 30.
Anthocyanins are a class of compounds that are widespread in plants, where they provide protection against stresses, and are also beneficial to human health as dietary components. Melatonin application is known to affect anthocyanin production, but the relationship between anthocyanin and melatonin is still unclear. In this study, we analyzed anthocyanin contents and the expression levels of anthocyanin biosynthetic and regulatory genes in tissue cultured plantlets of two Malus crabapple cultivars following various exogenous melatonin treatments under light and dark conditions. The application of exogenous melatonin not only promoted anthocyanin accumulation in leaves, but also increased the contents of flavonols and proanthocyanins (PAs), via a process that was not dependent on light. Quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses indicated that the expression of flavonoid biosynthetic genes, flavonoid related transcription factors and melatonin biosynthetic genes was induced by melatonin. We propose that anthocyanin biosynthesis is regulated by melatonin in crabapple leaves via the expression of flavonoid related transcription factors. This study provides insight into the mechanism of melatonin induction of anthocyanin biosynthesis in woody plants, and suggests that pretreatment with melatonin may represent a cultivation strategy to increase the flavonoid contents of plants.
花色苷是一类广泛存在于植物中的化合物，它们可以提供对压力的保护，同时作为膳食成分对人类健康也有益处。已知褪黑素的应用会影响花色苷的产生，但花色苷与褪黑素之间的关系尚不清楚。在这项研究中，我们分析了组织培养的两个苹果品种的植株在光照和黑暗条件下，经过不同外源褪黑素处理后，花色苷含量和花色苷生物合成及调控基因的表达水平。外源褪黑素的应用不仅促进了叶片中花色苷的积累，而且还增加了类黄酮和原花色素（PAs）的含量，这一过程不依赖于光照。实时荧光定量 PCR（qRT-PCR）分析表明，褪黑素诱导了类黄酮生物合成基因、类黄酮相关转录因子和褪黑素生物合成基因的表达。我们提出，褪黑素通过类黄酮相关转录因子调节苹果叶片中花色苷的生物合成。本研究为褪黑素诱导木本植物花色苷生物合成的机制提供了新的见解，并表明褪黑素预处理可能是提高植物类黄酮含量的一种栽培策略。
