Coexpression network analysis reveals an MYB transcriptional activator involved in capsaicinoid biosynthesis in hot peppers
Plant biosynthesis involves numerous specialized metabolites with diverse chemical natures and biological activities. The biosynthesis of metabolites often exclusively occurs in response to tissue-specific combinatorial developmental cues that are controlled at the transcriptional level. Capsaicinoi...
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Published in | Horticulture research Vol. 7; no. 1; p. 162 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
Oxford University Press
01.10.2020
Nature Publishing Group UK |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Plant biosynthesis involves numerous specialized metabolites with diverse chemical natures and biological activities. The biosynthesis of metabolites often exclusively occurs in response to tissue-specific combinatorial developmental cues that are controlled at the transcriptional level. Capsaicinoids are a group of specialized metabolites that confer a pungent flavor to pepper fruits. Capsaicinoid biosynthesis occurs in the fruit placenta and combines its developmental cues. Although the capsaicinoid biosynthetic pathway has been largely characterized, the regulatory mechanisms that control capsaicinoid metabolism have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we combined fruit placenta transcriptome data with weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) to generate coexpression networks. A capsaicinoid-related gene module was identified in which the MYB transcription factor CaMYB48 plays a critical role in regulating capsaicinoid in pepper. Capsaicinoid biosynthetic gene (CBG) and CaMYB48 expression primarily occurs in the placenta and is consistent with capsaicinoid biosynthesis. CaMYB48 encodes a nucleus-localized protein that primarily functions as a transcriptional activator through its C-terminal activation motif. CaMYB48 regulates capsaicinoid biosynthesis by directly regulating the expression of CBGs, including
and
. Taken together, the results of this study indicate ways to generate robust networks optimized for the mining of CBG-related regulators, establishing a foundation for future research elucidating capsaicinoid regulation. |
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ISSN: | 2662-6810 2052-7276 |
DOI: | 10.1038/s41438-020-00381-2 |