| Summary: | Light is one of the important factors influencing anthocyanin synthesis, and low-light conditions (<2000 Lux) seriously affect the coloration of the peels of purple eggplant. MPK4 is an important protein kinase that regulates a number of physiological processes and is equivalent to the “molecular switch” in the plant. The function of MPK4 has been studied in <i>Arabidopsis</i>, rice, and apple, but its function in eggplant has not been reported. In this study, 16 <i>SmMPK</i> genes were identified using photo-sensitive eggplant ‘LSHX’ as a material. We found that overexpression of <i>SmMPK4.1</i> could affect the phenotype of eggplant leaves and metabolites of fruits, and knockout of <i>SmMPK4.1</i> affected the function of synthesizing anthocyanin in eggplant induced by high light (10,000 Lux). Furthermore, we demonstrated that <i>SmMPK4.1</i> could interact with <i>SmMYB75</i> in yeast and that <i>SmMPK4.1</i> negatively regulated the function of anthocyanin synthesis by <i>SmMYB75</i>. The results of this study revealed the function of <i>SmMPK4.1</i> and provided candidate genes for conducting high-quality breeding of eggplant in production.
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