| Summary: | Strawberry (<i>Fragaria × ananassa</i>) fruits are rich in ascorbic acid (AsA) and anthocyanin, which are essential antioxidants for human health. However, the underlying regulatory mechanism of these antioxidant accumulation, especially AsA accumulation in strawberry fruits, remains largely unknown. In this study, we identified <i>FaAKR23</i> was a regulator of AsA and anthocyanin accumulation. We transiently expressed <i>FaAKR23</i> in strawberry fruits and conducted metabolic and molecular analyses to explore the role of <i>FaAKR23</i> in AsA and anthocyanin accumulation. Transient silencing of <i>FaAKR23</i> (<i>FaAKR23</i>-RNAi) in strawberry fruits significantly decreased the AsA and anthocyanin contents compared with control (empty vector-RNAi, EV-RNAi). Correspondingly, expression of some structural genes and regulatory factors involved in these two antioxidants’ accumulation was dramatically repressed. In addition, transcriptome analysis of EV-RNAi and <i>FaAKR23</i>-RNAi fruits suggested that <i>FaAKR23</i> was also involved in starch and sucrose metabolism as well as plant–pathogen interaction. Overall, these results not only provide the coordinated regulatory function of <i>FaAKR23</i> on AsA and anthocyanin accumulation but also offer a promising candidate gene for strawberry breeding with high antioxidants.
|
|---|