Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Key Genes and Pathways Associated with the Petal Color Formation in Cabbage ( L. var. ).

Petal color is an important agronomic trait in cabbage ( L. var. ). Although the key gene has been functionally characterized, the underlying molecular regulatory mechanism of petal color formation in cabbage is still unclear. In this study, we applied the transcriptome analysis of yellow petals from the cabbage inbred line YL-1 and white petals from the Chinese kale inbred line A192-1 and the -overexpressing transgenic line YF-2 (YL-1 background), which revealed 1928 DEGs common to both the A192-1 vs. YL-1 and the YL-1 vs. YF-2 comparison groups. One key enzyme-encoding gene, , and two key TF-encoding genes, (WRKY) and (SBP), related to carotenoid biosynthesis were significantly up-regulated in both the A192-1 and YF-2 petals, which was consistent with the expression pattern of . We speculate that these key genes may interact with to jointly regulate carotenoid biosynthesis in cabbage petals. This study provides new insights into the molecular regulatory mechanism underlying petal color formation in cabbage.