Genome-Wide Identification of <i>WRKY</i> Gene Family and Functional Characterization of <i>CcWRKY25</i> in <i>Capsicum chinense</i>
Pepper is renowned worldwide for its distinctive spicy flavor. While the gene expression characteristics of the capsaicinoid biosynthesis pathway have been extensively studied, there are already a few reports regarding transcriptional regulation in capsaicin biosynthesis. In this study, 73 <i>...
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/14/11389 |
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| author | Liping Zhang Dan Wu Wei Zhang Huangying Shu Peixia Sun Chuang Huang Qin Deng Zhiwei Wang Shanhan Cheng |
| author_facet | Liping Zhang Dan Wu Wei Zhang Huangying Shu Peixia Sun Chuang Huang Qin Deng Zhiwei Wang Shanhan Cheng |
| author_sort | Liping Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pepper is renowned worldwide for its distinctive spicy flavor. While the gene expression characteristics of the capsaicinoid biosynthesis pathway have been extensively studied, there are already a few reports regarding transcriptional regulation in capsaicin biosynthesis. In this study, 73 <i>WRKYs</i> were identified in the genome of <i>Capsicum chinense</i>, and their physicochemical traits, DNA, and protein sequence characteristics were found to be complex. Combining RNA-seq and qRT-PCR data, the <i>WRKY</i> transcription factor <i>CA06g13580</i>, which was associated with the accumulation tendency of capsaicinoid, was screened and named <i>CcWRKY25</i>. <i>CcWRKY25</i> was highly expressed in the placenta of spicy peppers. The heterologous expression of <i>CcWRKY25</i> in <i>Arabidopsis</i> promoted the expression of genes <i>PAL</i>, <i>4CL1</i>, <i>4CL2</i>, <i>4CL3</i>, <i>CCR</i>, and <i>CCoAOMT</i> and led to the accumulation of lignin and flavonoids. Furthermore, the expression of the capsaicinoid biosynthesis pathway genes (CBGs) <i>pAMT</i>, <i>AT3</i>, and <i>KAS</i> was significantly reduced in <i>CcWRKY25</i>-silenced pepper plants, resulting in a decrease in the amount of capsaicin. However, there was no noticeable difference in lignin accumulation. The findings suggested that <i>CcWRKY25</i> could be involved in regulating capsaicinoid synthesis by promoting the expression of genes upstream of the phenylpropanoid pathway and inhibiting CBGs’ expression. Moreover, the results highlighted the role of <i>CcWRKY25</i> in controlling the pungency of pepper and suggested that the competitive relationship between lignin and capsaicin could also regulate the spiciness of the pepper. |
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| language | English |
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| spelling | doaj.art-96732d3d9a6c4f549a0c202bbe838c602023-11-18T19:38:38ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672023-07-0124141138910.3390/ijms241411389Genome-Wide Identification of <i>WRKY</i> Gene Family and Functional Characterization of <i>CcWRKY25</i> in <i>Capsicum chinense</i>Liping Zhang0Dan Wu1Wei Zhang2Huangying Shu3Peixia Sun4Chuang Huang5Qin Deng6Zhiwei Wang7Shanhan Cheng8Key Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Crops of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, Hainan University, Sanya 572000, ChinaKey Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Crops of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, Hainan University, Sanya 572000, ChinaKey Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Crops of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, Hainan University, Sanya 572000, ChinaKey Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Crops of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, Hainan University, Sanya 572000, ChinaKey Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Crops of Hainan Province, School of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, ChinaKey Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Crops of Hainan Province, School of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, ChinaKey Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Crops of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, Hainan University, Sanya 572000, ChinaKey Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Crops of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, Hainan University, Sanya 572000, ChinaKey Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Crops of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, Hainan University, Sanya 572000, ChinaPepper is renowned worldwide for its distinctive spicy flavor. While the gene expression characteristics of the capsaicinoid biosynthesis pathway have been extensively studied, there are already a few reports regarding transcriptional regulation in capsaicin biosynthesis. In this study, 73 <i>WRKYs</i> were identified in the genome of <i>Capsicum chinense</i>, and their physicochemical traits, DNA, and protein sequence characteristics were found to be complex. Combining RNA-seq and qRT-PCR data, the <i>WRKY</i> transcription factor <i>CA06g13580</i>, which was associated with the accumulation tendency of capsaicinoid, was screened and named <i>CcWRKY25</i>. <i>CcWRKY25</i> was highly expressed in the placenta of spicy peppers. The heterologous expression of <i>CcWRKY25</i> in <i>Arabidopsis</i> promoted the expression of genes <i>PAL</i>, <i>4CL1</i>, <i>4CL2</i>, <i>4CL3</i>, <i>CCR</i>, and <i>CCoAOMT</i> and led to the accumulation of lignin and flavonoids. Furthermore, the expression of the capsaicinoid biosynthesis pathway genes (CBGs) <i>pAMT</i>, <i>AT3</i>, and <i>KAS</i> was significantly reduced in <i>CcWRKY25</i>-silenced pepper plants, resulting in a decrease in the amount of capsaicin. However, there was no noticeable difference in lignin accumulation. The findings suggested that <i>CcWRKY25</i> could be involved in regulating capsaicinoid synthesis by promoting the expression of genes upstream of the phenylpropanoid pathway and inhibiting CBGs’ expression. Moreover, the results highlighted the role of <i>CcWRKY25</i> in controlling the pungency of pepper and suggested that the competitive relationship between lignin and capsaicin could also regulate the spiciness of the pepper.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/14/11389pepper<i>Capsicum chinense</i><i>WRKY</i> gene familycapsaicinoid biosynthesis<i>CcWRKY25</i> |
| spellingShingle | Liping Zhang Dan Wu Wei Zhang Huangying Shu Peixia Sun Chuang Huang Qin Deng Zhiwei Wang Shanhan Cheng Genome-Wide Identification of <i>WRKY</i> Gene Family and Functional Characterization of <i>CcWRKY25</i> in <i>Capsicum chinense</i> International Journal of Molecular Sciences pepper <i>Capsicum chinense</i> <i>WRKY</i> gene family capsaicinoid biosynthesis <i>CcWRKY25</i> |
| title | Genome-Wide Identification of <i>WRKY</i> Gene Family and Functional Characterization of <i>CcWRKY25</i> in <i>Capsicum chinense</i> |
| title_full | Genome-Wide Identification of <i>WRKY</i> Gene Family and Functional Characterization of <i>CcWRKY25</i> in <i>Capsicum chinense</i> |
| title_fullStr | Genome-Wide Identification of <i>WRKY</i> Gene Family and Functional Characterization of <i>CcWRKY25</i> in <i>Capsicum chinense</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Genome-Wide Identification of <i>WRKY</i> Gene Family and Functional Characterization of <i>CcWRKY25</i> in <i>Capsicum chinense</i> |
| title_short | Genome-Wide Identification of <i>WRKY</i> Gene Family and Functional Characterization of <i>CcWRKY25</i> in <i>Capsicum chinense</i> |
| title_sort | genome wide identification of i wrky i gene family and functional characterization of i ccwrky25 i in i capsicum chinense i |
| topic | pepper <i>Capsicum chinense</i> <i>WRKY</i> gene family capsaicinoid biosynthesis <i>CcWRKY25</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/14/11389 |
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