Analysis of shoot color formation mechanism and identification of key transcription factors in Erythropalum scandens based on transcriptome sequencing
HUANG Ruolan
WEI Wanling
YANG Haixia
LI Hengrui
HE Wen
HUANG Zhenling
Abstract：This study used tender leaves of Erythropalum scandens(Longzhou green shoot and Longzhou red shoot)as materials.Through transcriptome sequencing,the differences in gene expression between the two differently colored ten-der leaves were compared to screen for differentially expressed genes and related pathways.The aim was to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms underlying shoot color formation in Erythropalum scandens at the molecular level.The results showed that,compared to green shoots,the chlorophyll content in red shoots significantly decreased,while the carotene content significantly increased.Transcriptome analysis identified a total of 3656 differentially expressed genes,of which 1962 were up-regulated and 1694 were down-regulated.KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the differentially ex-pressed genes were mainly enriched in pathways such as transcription factors,protein phosphatases and associated pro-teins,ubiquitin system,starch and sucrose metabolism,plant hormone signal transduction,glycosyltransferases,and pho-tosynthesis.Further analysis revealed that the expression of the transcription factor SPL15 was significantly down-regulat-ed in red shoots,potentially leading to the up-regulation of the branch-point enzyme gene LCYE in the carotene biosynthe-sis pathway by activating key factors in the light signaling pathway.In conclusion,the formation of red shoots in Erythro-palum scandens may be closely associated wiht the regulation of the light signal pathway.
Keywords：Erythropalum scandensShoot colorTranscription factorLight signal
Publication Date：2026-02-05
Online Publishing Date：2026-03-10(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：10( 50-59 )