PRJNA558197
Brassica rapa Transcriptome or Gene expression
Purple turnip Brassica rapa ssp. rapa is highly appreciated by consumers but the metabolites and molecular mechanisms underlying the root skin pigmentation remain open to study. Herein, we analyzed the anthocyanins composition in purple turnip (PT) and green turnip (GT) at five developmental stages. A total of 21 anthocyanins were detected and classified into the six major anthocynanin aglycones. Distinctly, PT contains 20 times higher levels of anthocyanins than GT, which could explain the difference in the root skin pigmentation. We further sequenced the transcriptomes and analyzed the differentially expressed genes between the two turnips. We found that PT essentially diverts dihydroflavonols to the anthocyanins biosynthesis over the flavonols biosynthesis by strongly down-regulating one flavonol synthase gene, while strikingly up-regulating dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR), anthocyanidin synthase and UDP-glucose:flavonoid-3-O-glucosyltransferase genes as compared to GT. Moreover, a nonsense mutation identified in the coding sequence of the DFR gene may lead to a nonfunctional protein, adding another hurdle to the accumulation of anthocyanin in GT. We also uncovered several key members of MYB, bHLH and WRKY families as the main drivers of transcriptional changes between the two turnips. Overall, this study provides new tools for modifying anthocyanin content and improving turnip nutritional quality.