Metabolic profiling and transcriptome analysis provide insights into the accumulation of flavonoids in chayote fruit during storage

YuTing Pu; Cheng Wang; YongWen Jiang; XiaoJing Wang; YuJie Ai; WeiBing Zhuang

doi:10.3389/fnut.2023.1029745

Metabolic profiling and transcriptome analysis provide insights into the accumulation of flavonoids in chayote fruit during storage

Front Nutr. 2023 Feb 27:10:1029745. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1029745. eCollection 2023.

Authors

YuTing Pu¹, Cheng Wang², YongWen Jiang³, XiaoJing Wang¹, YuJie Ai³, WeiBing Zhuang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Germplasm Innovation in Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for Mountain Ecology and Agro-Bioengineering (CICMEAB), College of Life Sciences, Institute of Agro-Bioengineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China.
² Hubei Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Characteristic Fruits and Vegetables, College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan, China.
³ Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Hangzhou, China.
⁴ The Jiangsu Provincial Platform for Conservation and Utilization of Agricultural Germplasm, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing Botanical Garden Memorial Sun Yat-sen, Institute of Botany, Nanjing, China.

Abstract

Chayote (Sechium edulel) fruits are rich in flavonoids, folate, and low-calorie food. However, studies about the flavonoids and the corresponding regulatory mechanism of flavonoid synthesis in chayote fruits was still unclear. In present study, an integrated transcriptome and metabolite analysis of chayote fruits at three different storage stages were conducted to explore the flavonoid compositions and gene expression associated with flavonoid synthesis. Through the UPLC-MS/MS analysis, a total of 57 flavonoid compounds were detected. Of these, 42 flavonoid glycosides were significantly differential accumulation in chayote fruits at three different storage stages. Many genes associated with flavonoid synthesis were differentially expressed in chayote fruits at three different storage stages through RNA-seq analysis, including structural genes and some TFs. There was a high correlation between RNA-seq analysis and metabolite profiling, and the expression level of candidate genes in the flavonoid synthesis pathway were consistent with the dynamic changes of flavonoids. In addition, one R2R3-MYB transcription factor, FSG0057100, was defined as the critical regulatory gene of flavonoid synthesis. Furthermore, exogenous application of phenylalanine increased the total content of flavonoids and promoted some flavonoid biosynthesis-related gene expression in chayote fruits. The above results not only make us better understand the molecular mechanism of flavonoid synthesis in chayote fruits, but also contribute to the promotion and application of chayote products.

Keywords: DEGs; Sechium edulel; flavonoids; metabolite profiling; transcriptome profiling.