Ectopic Expression of <i>FvVND4c</i> Promotes Secondary Cell Wall Thickening and Flavonoid Accumulation in <i>Fragaria vesca</i>

Secondary cell wall (SCW) thickening has a significant effect on the growth and development of plants, as well as in the resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Lignin accounts for the strength of SCW. It is synthesized through the phenylpropanoid pathway that also leads to flavonoid synt...

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Main Authors: Bei Zhang, Xiaofei Dang, Hao Chen, Tian Li, Fangjie Zhu, Shingo Nagawa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-04-01
Series:International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/9/8110
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author Bei Zhang
Xiaofei Dang
Hao Chen
Tian Li
Fangjie Zhu
Shingo Nagawa
author_facet Bei Zhang
Xiaofei Dang
Hao Chen
Tian Li
Fangjie Zhu
Shingo Nagawa
author_sort Bei Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Secondary cell wall (SCW) thickening has a significant effect on the growth and development of plants, as well as in the resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Lignin accounts for the strength of SCW. It is synthesized through the phenylpropanoid pathway that also leads to flavonoid synthesis. The coupling strategies for lignin and flavonoid syntheses are diverse in plants. How their syntheses are balanced by transcriptional regulation in fleshy fruits is still unclear. The diploid strawberry (<i>Fragaria vesca</i>) is a model for fleshy fruits research due to its small genome and wide scope of genetic transformation. SCW thickening is regulated by a multilevel transcriptional regulatory network wherein vascular-related NAC domains (VNDs) act as key regulators. In this study, we systematically characterized VNDs in <i>Fragaria vesca</i> and explored their functions. The overexpression of <i>FvVND4c</i> in diploid strawberry fruits resulted in SCW thickening and fruit color changes accompanied with the accumulation of lignin and flavonoids. Genes related to these phenotypes were also induced upon <i>FvVND4c</i> overexpression. Among the induced genes, we found <i>FvMYB46</i> to be a direct downstream regulator of <i>FvVND4c</i>. The overexpression of <i>FvMYB46</i> resulted in similar phenotypes as <i>FvVND4c</i>, except for the color change. Transcriptomic analyses suggest that both FvVND4c and FvMYB46 act on phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways, and induce lignin synthesis for SCW. These results suggest that FvVND4c and FvMYB46 cooperatively regulate SCW thickening and flavonoid accumulation in <i>Fragaria vesca</i>.
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spelling doaj.art-9aff2bc7300e45f8b1aa1b5855bca3ee2023-11-17T23:05:04ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672023-04-01249811010.3390/ijms24098110Ectopic Expression of <i>FvVND4c</i> Promotes Secondary Cell Wall Thickening and Flavonoid Accumulation in <i>Fragaria vesca</i>Bei Zhang0Xiaofei Dang1Hao Chen2Tian Li3Fangjie Zhu4Shingo Nagawa5College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU), Fuzhou 350002, ChinaCollege of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU), Fuzhou 350002, ChinaCollege of Life Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU), Fuzhou 350002, ChinaCollege of Future Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU), Fuzhou 350002, ChinaCollege of Life Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU), Fuzhou 350002, ChinaFujian Agriculture and Forestry University–University of California, Riverside, Joint Center for Horticultural Biology and Metabolomics, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, ChinaSecondary cell wall (SCW) thickening has a significant effect on the growth and development of plants, as well as in the resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Lignin accounts for the strength of SCW. It is synthesized through the phenylpropanoid pathway that also leads to flavonoid synthesis. The coupling strategies for lignin and flavonoid syntheses are diverse in plants. How their syntheses are balanced by transcriptional regulation in fleshy fruits is still unclear. The diploid strawberry (<i>Fragaria vesca</i>) is a model for fleshy fruits research due to its small genome and wide scope of genetic transformation. SCW thickening is regulated by a multilevel transcriptional regulatory network wherein vascular-related NAC domains (VNDs) act as key regulators. In this study, we systematically characterized VNDs in <i>Fragaria vesca</i> and explored their functions. The overexpression of <i>FvVND4c</i> in diploid strawberry fruits resulted in SCW thickening and fruit color changes accompanied with the accumulation of lignin and flavonoids. Genes related to these phenotypes were also induced upon <i>FvVND4c</i> overexpression. Among the induced genes, we found <i>FvMYB46</i> to be a direct downstream regulator of <i>FvVND4c</i>. The overexpression of <i>FvMYB46</i> resulted in similar phenotypes as <i>FvVND4c</i>, except for the color change. Transcriptomic analyses suggest that both FvVND4c and FvMYB46 act on phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways, and induce lignin synthesis for SCW. These results suggest that FvVND4c and FvMYB46 cooperatively regulate SCW thickening and flavonoid accumulation in <i>Fragaria vesca</i>.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/9/8110secondary cell wallflavonoid<i>FvVND4c</i><i>FvMYB46</i><i>Fragaria vesca</i>
spellingShingle Bei Zhang
Xiaofei Dang
Hao Chen
Tian Li
Fangjie Zhu
Shingo Nagawa
Ectopic Expression of <i>FvVND4c</i> Promotes Secondary Cell Wall Thickening and Flavonoid Accumulation in <i>Fragaria vesca</i>
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
secondary cell wall
flavonoid
<i>FvVND4c</i>
<i>FvMYB46</i>
<i>Fragaria vesca</i>
title Ectopic Expression of <i>FvVND4c</i> Promotes Secondary Cell Wall Thickening and Flavonoid Accumulation in <i>Fragaria vesca</i>
title_full Ectopic Expression of <i>FvVND4c</i> Promotes Secondary Cell Wall Thickening and Flavonoid Accumulation in <i>Fragaria vesca</i>
title_fullStr Ectopic Expression of <i>FvVND4c</i> Promotes Secondary Cell Wall Thickening and Flavonoid Accumulation in <i>Fragaria vesca</i>
title_full_unstemmed Ectopic Expression of <i>FvVND4c</i> Promotes Secondary Cell Wall Thickening and Flavonoid Accumulation in <i>Fragaria vesca</i>
title_short Ectopic Expression of <i>FvVND4c</i> Promotes Secondary Cell Wall Thickening and Flavonoid Accumulation in <i>Fragaria vesca</i>
title_sort ectopic expression of i fvvnd4c i promotes secondary cell wall thickening and flavonoid accumulation in i fragaria vesca i
topic secondary cell wall
flavonoid
<i>FvVND4c</i>
<i>FvMYB46</i>
<i>Fragaria vesca</i>
url https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/9/8110
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