Wang Haojie, Cao Yadan, Mansfield Shawn D, Zhang Pengwei, Lin Xinchun, Hou Dan
National Key Laboratory for Development and Utilization of Forest Food Resources, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China.
Key Laboratory of Bamboo Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, Bamboo Industry Institute, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China.
For Res (Fayettev). 2025 Sep 23;5:e020. doi: 10.48130/forres-0025-0020. eCollection 2025.
Plant melanin is an organic molecule commonly used in medicine, food, and chemical industries. However, the molecular underpinnings of plant melanin's biosynthesis and its regulation are still unclear. is well known for its ornamental value because of its black culms. The black pigments enriched in the epidermis and cortex of were identified to be melanin by analyses of its physical and chemical properties. Moreover, the biosynthesis of melanin was examined using comprehensive transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses in when grown at low temperatures. Nontargeted metabolite profiling revealed that some indoles, including serotonin, 3-indoleacetic acid, and 1H-indole-3-acetamide, were significantly enriched in when grown at low temperatures. Parallel transcriptomic analysis showed that a set of structural genes involved in serotonin biosynthesis was significantly upregulated by low temperatures. By integrating the transcriptome data and weighted gene co-expression network analysis, the essential transcription factors that putatively regulate the biosynthesis of serotonins were revealed. Among those, PnWRKY19-3 was functionally tested and shown to increase the serotonin content in transgenic rice by upregulating under low temperature conditions. These findings suggest that PnWRKY19-3 may play a positive role in promoting melanin formation in the culms of . According to the two functional genomic platforms, it appears that low temperature stimulates melanin formation in by inducing the biosynthesis of indoles. Our research provides new insights into melanin biosynthesis in bamboo, which may be vital to other plant species.
植物黑色素是一种常用于医药、食品和化工行业的有机分子。然而，植物黑色素生物合成及其调控的分子基础仍不清楚。因其黑色茎秆而具有观赏价值。通过对其理化性质的分析，确定富集在其表皮和皮层中的黑色色素为黑色素。此外，利用综合转录组学和代谢组学分析方法，研究了在低温下生长时黑色素的生物合成。非靶向代谢物谱分析表明，一些吲哚，包括血清素、3-吲哚乙酸和1H-吲哚-3-乙酰胺，在低温下生长时在中显著富集。平行转录组分析表明，一组参与血清素生物合成的结构基因在低温下显著上调。通过整合转录组数据和加权基因共表达网络分析，揭示了可能调控血清素生物合成的关键转录因子。其中，对PnWRKY19-3进行了功能测试，结果表明在低温条件下，它通过上调转基因水稻中的血清素含量。这些发现表明，PnWRKY19-3可能在促进茎秆中黑色素形成方面发挥积极作用。根据这两个功能基因组平台，低温似乎通过诱导吲哚的生物合成来刺激黑色素的形成。我们的研究为竹子黑色素生物合成提供了新的见解，这可能对其他植物物种至关重要。
