Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China.
Aquatic Plant Research Center, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China.
Plant Physiol. 2023 Sep 22;193(2):1213-1226. doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiad363.
Lotus (Nelumbo spp.) is an important aquatic ornamental genus in the family Nelumbonaceae comprising only 2 species: Nelumbo lutea with yellow flowers and Nelumbo nucifera with red or white flowers. The petal color variations between these 2 species have previously been associated with the potential activities of FLAVONOL SYNTHASE (FLS) and MYB5. However, the underlying genetic mechanisms of flower color divergence within the N. nucifera species remain unclear. Here, quantitative trait locus mapping led to the identification of MYB5, a candidate gene controlling petal color in N. nucifera. Genotyping of 213 natural lotus accessions revealed an 80 kb presence/absence variant (PAV) of the NnMYB5 gene that is associated with petal color variation. Transcriptome analysis, dual-luciferase, and yeast 1-hybrid assays showed that NnMYB5 could directly activate the anthocyanin transporter gene GLUTATHIONE S-TRANSFERASE2 (NnGST2). Heterologous expression of NnGST2 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and its overexpression in lotus petals induced anthocyanin accumulation. Deletion of the 80 kb PAV within NnMYB5 inactivated NnGST2 expression and blocked anthocyanin accumulation in white N. nucifera petals. In contrast, the anthocyanin deficiency of N. lutea occurred due to pseudogenized NlMYB5 alleles. Our results establish a regulatory link between NnMYB5 and NnGST2 in petal anthocyanin accumulation and demonstrate the independent mechanisms controlling flower coloration in Nelumbo.
荷花(Nelumbo spp.)是莲科(Nelumbonaceae)中一种重要的水生观赏植物,仅包含 2 个物种:黄花的荷花(Nelumbo lutea)和红花或白花的荷花(Nelumbo nucifera)。这 2 个物种的花瓣颜色变化以前与黄酮醇合酶(FLAVONOL SYNTHASE,FLS)和 MYB5 的潜在活性有关。然而,N. nucifera 种内花色分化的潜在遗传机制仍不清楚。本研究通过数量性状位点作图,鉴定出 MYB5 是控制 N. nucifera 花瓣颜色的候选基因。对 213 个自然荷花品种的基因分型显示,NnMYB5 基因存在一个 80 kb 的有无变异(presence/absence variant,PAV),与花瓣颜色变化有关。转录组分析、双荧光素酶和酵母 1 杂交实验表明,NnMYB5 可以直接激活花色苷转运蛋白基因 GLUTATHIONE S-TRANSFERASE2(NnGST2)。NnGST2 在拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)中的异源表达及其在荷花花瓣中的过表达诱导了花色苷的积累。NnMYB5 内 80 kb PAV 的缺失使 NnGST2 的表达失活,阻断了白色 N. nucifera 花瓣中的花色苷积累。相比之下,N. lutea 的花色苷缺乏是由于 NlMYB5 等位基因的假基因化所致。本研究建立了 NnMYB5 和 NnGST2 在花瓣花色苷积累中的调控关系,并证明了Nelumbo 中控制花色的独立机制。