Open AccessProduction of red‐flowered oilseed rape via the ectopic expression of O rychophragmus violaceus O v PAP 2
Author(s) -
Fu Wenqin,
Chen Daozong,
Pan Qi,
Li Fengfeng,
Zhao Zhigang,
Ge Xianhong,
Li Zaiyun
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plant biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.525
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1467-7652
pISSN - 1467-7644
DOI - 10.1111/pbi.12777
Subject(s) - petal , biology , arabidopsis thaliana , anthocyanin , stamen , brassica , botany , ectopic expression , arabidopsis , gene , sepal , genetics , mutant , pollen
Summary Oilseed rape ( Brassica napus L.), which has yellow flowers, is both an important oil crop and a traditional tourism resource in China, whereas the Orychophragmus violaceus , which has purple flowers, likely possesses a candidate gene or genes to alter the flower colour of oilseed rape. A previously established B. napus line has a particular pair of O. violaceus chromosomes (M4) and exhibits slightly red petals. In this study, the transcriptomic analysis of M4, B. napus (H3), and O. violaceus with purple petals (OvP) and with white petals (OvW) revealed that most anthocyanin biosynthesis genes were up‐regulated in both M4 and OvP. Read assembly and sequence alignment identified a homolog of At PAP 2 in M4, which produced the O . violaceus transcript ( Ov PAP 2 ). The overexpression of Ov PAP 2 via the Ca MV 35S promoter in Arabidopsis thaliana led to different levels of anthocyanin accumulation in most organs, including the petals. However, the B. napus overexpression plants showed anthocyanin accumulation primarily in the anthers, but not the petals. However, when Ov PAP 2 was driven by the petal‐specific promoter XY 355, the transgenic B. napus plants produced red anthers and red petals. The results of metabolomic experiments showed that specific anthocyanins accumulated to high levels in the red petals. This study illustrates the feasibility of producing red‐flowered oilseed rape, thereby enhancing its ornamental value, via the ectopic expression of the Ov PAP 2 gene. Moreover, the practical application of this study for insect pest management in the crop is discussed.