The Preliminary Study on Asparagus Flavonoids Synthesis and Its Regulatory Genes

Purpose In order to understand the flavonoids synthesis and regulation model of asparagus, this study based on the RNA-seq of green asparagus ‘Guelph Millennium’, to find the metabolic pathway of asparagus flavonoids and regulation pattern.

Method Based on the synthetic pathway and regulation mechanism of flavonoid and anthocynins in model plants, the male and female self-crossed progenies of ‘Guelph Millennium’ were used for RNA sequencing and the analysis of flavonoids and rutin contents.

Result The total flavonoids in tender stem stage (T), famale T (FT)<male T (MT). Asparagus transcriptome sequencing revealed a total of 15 catalytic steps and 33 enzymes or isoenzymes in rutin and cyanidin biosynthetic pathways and 43 regulation genes.

Conclusion AoCA4H1, AoANS1, AoCHI1 are the most important genes and AobHLH32, AoMYB3, AoMYB10, AoMYB11 and AoWD7 are the important regulatory genes between flavonoids biosynthesis. This study explains the regulation mechanism of flavonoids difference between female and male asparagus, provides the basis for the advantages of whole-male green asparagus breeding and molecular improvement of flavonoids content.