Comparative transcription analysis of photosensitive and non-photosensitive eggplants to identify genes involved in dark regulated anthocyanin synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Light is a key environmental factor in regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis. Through a large number of bagging screenings, we obtained non-photosensitive eggplants that still have decent amount of anthocyanin synthesized after bagging. In the present study, transcriptome was made to explore the molecular mechanism of dark-regulated anthocyanin synthesis in non-photosensitive eggplant. RESULTS: The transcriptome of the pericarp at 0 h, 0.5 h, 4 h, and 8 h after bag removal were sequenced and analyzed. Comparison of the sequencing data with those of photosensitive eggplant for the same time period showed that anthocyanin synthesis genes had different expression trends. Based on the expression trends of the structural genes, it was discovered that 22 transcription factors and 4 light signal transduction elements may be involved in the anthocyanin synthesis in two types of eggplants. Through transcription factor target gene prediction and yeast one-hybrid assay, SmBIM1, SmAP2, SmHD, SmMYB94, SmMYB19, SmTT8, SmYABBY, SmTTG2, and SmMYC2 were identified to be directly or indirectly bound to the promoter of the structural gene SmCHS. These results indicate that the identified 9 genes participated in the anthocyanin synthesis in eggplant peel and formed a network of interactions among themselves. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the comparative transcription, the identified 22 transcription factors and 4 light signal transduction elements may act as the key factors in dark regulated anthocyanin synthesis in non-photosensitive eggplant. The results provided a step stone for further analysis of the molecular mechanism of dark-regulated anthocyanin synthesis in non-photosensitive eggplant.

Dynamic Light Regulation of Translation Status in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Light, a dynamic environmental parameter, is an essential regulator of plant growth and development. Light-regulated transcriptional networks are well documented, whereas light-regulated post-transcriptional regulation has received limited attention. In this study, dynamics in translation of cytosolic mRNAs were evaluated at the genome-level in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings grown under a typical light/dark diurnal regime, shifted to darkness at midday, and then re-illuminated. One-hour of unanticipated darkness reduced levels of polysomes by 17% in a manner consistent with inhibition of initiation of translation. This down-regulation of translation was reversed within 10 min of re-illumination. Quantitative comparison of the total cellular population of transcripts (the transcriptome) to those associated with one or more 80S ribosome (the translatome) identified over 1600 mRNAs that were differentially translated in response to light availability. Unanticipated darkness limited both transcription and translation of mRNAs encoding components of the photosynthetic machinery. Many mRNAs encoding proteins associated with the energy demanding process of protein synthesis were stable but sequestered in the dark, in a rapidly reversible manner. A meta-analysis determined these same transcripts were similarly and coordinately regulated in response to changes in oxygen availability. The dark and hypoxia translationally repressed mRNAs lack highly supported candidate RNA-regulatory elements but are characterized by G + C-rich 5'-untranslated regions. We propose that modulation of translation of a subset of cellular mRNAs functions as an energy conservation mechanism.