Anthocyanins are common secondary metabolites in plants that impart red coloration to fruits and flowers. The important WRKY transcription factor family plays multifaceted roles in plant growth and development. In this study, we found a WRKY family gene, Pyrus bretschneideri WRKY75, that may be involved in anthocyanin synthesis in pear. Unlike Arabidopsis thaliana WRKY75, PbWRKY75 may be a positive regulator of anthocyanin synthesis. A transient expression assay indicated that PbWRKY75 promoted pear anthocyanin synthesis. The structural genes (PbANS, PbDFR, and PbUFGT) and positive regulators (PbMYB10 and PbMYB10b) of anthocyanin synthesis were significantly upregulated in the fruitlet skins of PbWRKY75-overexpressing "Zaosu" pears. Subsequently, yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase assays indicated that PbWRKY75 promoted PbDFR, PbUFGT, and PbMYB10b expression by activating their promoters. These results revealed that PbWRKY75 may promote the expression of both PbMYB10b and anthocyanin late biosynthetic genes (PbDFR and PbUFGT) by activating their promoters, thereby inducing anthocyanin synthesis in pear. This study enhanced our understanding of the mechanism of pear anthocyanin synthesis, which will be beneficial in the improvement of pear peel color.
© 2021 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.