title: Comparative profiling of gene expression in Camellia sinensis L. cultivar AnJiBaiCha leaves during periodic albinism.
abstract: The AnJiBaiCha albino mutant tea cultivar has a reversible albino phenotype at low temperatures. Albino AnJiBaiCha leaves contain high levels of amino acids, which are important components affecting the quality of tea as a beverage. To examine the molecular mechanism of albinism and amino acid enrichment in AnJiBaiCha, we used the amplified fragment length polymorphism (cDNA-AFLP) technique to isolate genes that are differentially expressed during periodic albinism in AnJiBaiCha. A total of 127 transcript-derived fragments (TDFs) were successfully sequenced; among those, 60 TDFs showed high similarity to sequences with known functions, but 67 TDFs were not similar to any known genes. The identified transcripts include transcription factors, ubiquitination-related genes, chloroplast biogenesis genes, signal transduction genes, stress-related genes, cell cycle genes, and carbohydrate and energy metabolism genes. To validate the cDNA-AFLP results, quantitative real-time PCR was used to confirm the differential expression of six of the identified genes. The cDNA-AFLP and quantitative real-time PCR results correlated well, indicating that the cDNA-AFLP results are reliable. This study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms by which periodic albinism and amino acid accumulation take place in AnJiBaiCha.
authors.affiliation: National Research Center of Engineering Technology for Utilization of Functional Ingredients from Botanicals, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tea Science of Ministry of Education, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
authors.forename: Li-Gui
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tea Science of Ministry of Education, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
authors.forename: Ting-Ting
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tea Science of Ministry of Education, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tea Science of Ministry of Education, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National Research Center of Engineering Technology for Utilization of Functional Ingredients from Botanicals, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
authors.forename: Shuo-Qian
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tea Science of Ministry of Education, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China. Electronic address: Jian7513@sina.com.
authors.forename: Jian-An
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: National Research Center of Engineering Technology for Utilization of Functional Ingredients from Botanicals, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China; Key Laboratory of Tea Science of Ministry of Education, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China; Collaborative Innovation Centre of Utilization of Functional Ingredients from Botanicals, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China. Electronic address: larkin-liu@163.com.
authors.forename: Zhong-Hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D054458:Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis; D001483:Base Sequence; D028241:Camellia sinensis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000235:genetics*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000166:cytology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013662:Tea / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D013662:Tea
keywords: Albino tea cultivar; Camellia sinensis L; Gene expression profiling; cDNA-AFLP; qPCR