Comparative profiling of gene expression in Camellia sinensis L. cultivar AnJiBaiCha leaves during periodic albinism

Ling Yuan; Li-Gui Xiong; Ting-Ting Deng; Yang Wu; Juan Li; Shuo-Qian Liu; Jian-An Huang; Zhong-Hua Liu

doi:10.1016/j.gene.2015.01.007

Comparative profiling of gene expression in Camellia sinensis L. cultivar AnJiBaiCha leaves during periodic albinism

Gene. 2015 Apr 25;561(1):23-9. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2015.01.007. Epub 2015 Jan 7.

Authors

Ling Yuan¹, Li-Gui Xiong², Ting-Ting Deng², Yang Wu², Juan Li², Shuo-Qian Liu¹, Jian-An Huang³, Zhong-Hua Liu⁴

Affiliations

¹ National Research Center of Engineering Technology for Utilization of Functional Ingredients from Botanicals, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
² Key Laboratory of Tea Science of Ministry of Education, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Tea Science of Ministry of Education, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China. Electronic address: Jian7513@sina.com.
⁴ 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.

PMID: 25576956
DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2015.01.007

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.

Keywords: Albino tea cultivar; Camellia sinensis L; Gene expression profiling; cDNA-AFLP; qPCR.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Amino Acids / metabolism
Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis
Base Sequence
Camellia sinensis / genetics*
Camellia sinensis / metabolism*
Gene Expression
Gene Expression Profiling
Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
Pigmentation / genetics*
Plant Leaves / cytology
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Tea / genetics*
Tea / metabolism*

Substances

Amino Acids
Tea