GSE114544
Transcriptomic analyses of cacao cell suspensions in light and dark provide target genes for controlled flavonoid production
We performed RNA-Seq technology for quantification of differential expression of cacao cell suspensions under light/dark conditions. By obtaining over 15 millions of reads per sample, we cuantified the differential gene expression in structural, regulatory and light signaling genes associated with flavonoid biosynthesis. Our results indicated that light treatments can effectively regulate flavonoid profiles, shifting catechin - epicatechin ratios, in particular as a response to switching from white to blue light. The results demonstrated that HY5, MYB12, ANR and LAR were differentially regulated under light/dark conditions and could be targeted by overexpression aiming to improve catechin synthesis in cell cultures. Additionally, co-expression analyses of late flavonoid biosynthetic genes ANS, ANR and LAR showed a larger number of shared partners in the dark compared to selective partners in white-blue treatment. In conclusion, our RNA-Seq analysis of cacao cells cultured under different light conditions provides a platform to dissect key aspects into the genetic regulatory network of flavonoids. These light-responsive candidate genes can be used further to modulate the flavonoid production in in vitro systems with value-added characteristics. Overall design: we used cacao cell suspension cultures exposed to white followed by blue light treatment and compared them to cultures grown in the dark over a time course of 14 days. Cell samples were collected at 0, 1, 7, 8, and 14 days after treatment initiation and RNA-Seq was applied to evaluate differential gene expression.