The accumulation of ascorbic acid and lignin, and differential expression of ascorbic acid and lignin related-genes in yellow celery

• Published in: The journal of horticultural science & biotechnology Vol. 95; no. 6; pp. 722 - 733
• Main Authors: Ding, Xu, Liu, Jie-Xia, Xing, Guo-Ming, Chen, Long-Zheng, Sun, Sheng, Li, Sen, Feng, Kai, Duan, Ao-Qi, Yin, Lian, Shen, Di, Xu, Zhi-Sheng, Xiong, Ai-Sheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 01.11.2020
• Subjects: Ascorbic acid; gene expression; lignin; metabolic pathway; yellow celery
• ISSN: 1462-0316; 2380-4084
• DOI: 10.1080/14620316.2020.1764398

Increasing the level of AsA and maintaining proper lignin content will improve the quality of celery (Apium graveolens L.). However, the study on the regulation mechanism of genes related to AsA and lignin metabolism in celery was limited, especially in yellow celery. In this study, the accumulation of AsA and lignin and the expression profiles of related-genes were detected in three kinds of yellow celery. The results showed that the content of AsA was higher in the leaf blades of 'Huangtaiji' and the petioles of 'Jinhuangqincai'. The content of lignin was the highest in 'Jinhuangqincai' leaves, followed by 'Liuhehuangxinqin' and 'Huangtaiji'. The expression levels of AgAO (r = −0.032) and AgDHAR1 (r = −0.193) genes involved in AsA recycling and degradation showed negatively correlated with AsA content. AgCCoAOMT (r = 0.692) and AgF5 H (r = 0.733) genes expression were positively correlated with lignin content, while the expression of AgCAD (r = −0.694) and AgC3ʹH (r = −0.722) genes were negatively correlated with lignin content. Our current work provided potential theoretical basis for effectively changing accumulation of AsA and lignin by genetic engineering in celery.