Metabolite Profile and Genes/Proteins Expression in β-citraturin Biosynthesis during Fruit Ripening in Chinese Raspberry (Rubus chingii Hu)

Rubus chingii HU, is a medicinal and nutritious fruit, which is very rich in flavonoids. However, the biosynthesis of its flavonoids is poorly understood. This study examined flavonoids and the genes/proteins at four fruit ripening phases using LC-MS/MS and qPCR. Six major kinds of anthocyanins, primarily consisted of flavanol-anthocyanins, which differed in form or concentration from other Rubus species. In contrast to other known raspberries species, R. chingii had a decline in flavonoids during fruit ripening, which was due to down-regulation of genes and proteins involved in phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis. Unexpectedly, anthocyanin also continuously decreased during fruit maturation. This suggests that anthocyanins are not responsible for the fruit’s reddish coloration. Flavanol-anthocyanins were derived from the proanthocyanidin pathway, which consumed two flavonoid units both produced through the same upstream pathway. Their presence indicates a reduction in the potential biosynthesis of anthocyanin production. Also, the constantly low expression of RchANS gene resulted in low levels of anthocyanin biosynthesis. The lack of RchF3′5′H gene/protein hindered the production of delphinidin glycosides. Flavonoids primarily comprising of quercetin/kaempferol-glycosides were predominately located at fruit epidermal-hair and placentae. The proportion of receptacle/drupelets changes with the maturity of the fruit and may be related to a decrease in the content of flavonoids per unit mass as the fruit matures. The profile and biosynthesis of R. chingii flavonoids are unique to Rubus. The unique flavonol pathways of R. chingii could be used to broaden the genetic diversity of raspberry cultivars and to improve their fruit quality.

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Characterization of carotenoids and phenolics during fruit ripening of Chinese raspberry (Rubus chingii Hu)

RSC Advances ◽

10.1039/d0ra10373j ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (18) ◽

pp. 10804-10813

Author(s):

Xiaobai Li ◽

Jian Sun ◽

Zhen Chen ◽

Jingyong Jiang ◽

Aaron Jackson

Keyword(s):

Fruit Ripening ◽

Health Benefits ◽

Rubus Chingii ◽

Rubus Chingii Hu

Chinese raspberry (Rubus chingii Hu) is a fruit valued for its health benefits, which is indigenous to China.

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Molecular mechanisms underlying macrophage immunomodulatory activity of Rubus chingii Hu polysaccharides

International Journal of Biological Macromolecules ◽

10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.07.024 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Wei Xu ◽

Ming Zhao ◽

Xinyu Fu ◽

Jing Hou ◽

Yong Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Immunomodulatory Activity ◽

Rubus Chingii ◽

Rubus Chingii Hu

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Corrigendum to

Scientia Horticulturae ◽

10.1016/j.scienta.2021.110324 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 110324

Author(s):

Zhen Chen ◽

Jingyong Jiang ◽

Xiaobai Li ◽

Yiwen Xie ◽

Zexin Jin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bioactive Compounds ◽

Fruit Quality ◽

Rubus Chingii ◽

Rubus Chingii Hu

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Highly Oxygenated Triterpenoids and Diterpenoids from Fructus Rubi (Rubus Chingii Hu) and Their NF-kappa B Inhibitory Effects

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26071911 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (7) ◽

pp. 1911

Author(s):

Jiang Wan ◽

Xiao-Juan Wang ◽

Nan Guo ◽

Xi-Ying Wu ◽

Juan Xiong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Inhibitory Effects ◽

Nf Kappa B ◽

Pentacyclic Triterpenoids ◽

Chemical Structures ◽

Phytochemical Investigation ◽

Ic50 Values ◽

Rubus Chingii ◽

Rubus Chingii Hu ◽

Type 3

During a phytochemical investigation of the unripe fruits of Rubus chingii Hu (i.e., Fructus Rubi, a traditional Chinese medicine named “Fu-Pen-Zi”), a number of highly oxygenated terpenoids were isolated and characterized. These included nine ursane-type (1, 2, and 4–10), five oleanane-type (3, 11–14), and six cucurbitane-type (15–20) triterpenoids, together with five ent-kaurane-type diterpenoids (21–25). Among them, (4R,5R,8R,9R,10R,14S,17S,18S,19R,20R)-2,19α,23-trihydroxy-3-oxo-urs-1,12-dien-28-oic acid (rubusacid A, 1), (2R*,4S*,5R*,8R*,9R*,10R*,14S*,17S*, 18S*,19R*,20R*)-2α,19α,24-trihydroxy-3-oxo-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (rubusacid B, 2), (5R,8R,9R,10R, 14S,17R,18S,19S)-2,19α-dihydroxy-olean-1,12-dien-28-oic acid (rubusacid C, 3), and (3S,5S,8S,9R, 10S,13R,16R)-3α,16α,17-trihydroxy-ent-kaur-2-one (rubusone, 21) were previously undescribed. Their chemical structures and absolute configurations were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) analyses. Compounds 1 and 3 are rare naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoids featuring a special α,β-unsaturated keto-enol (diosphenol) unit in ring A. Cucurbitacin B (15), cucurbitacin D (16), and 3α,16α,20(R),25-tetrahydroxy-cucurbita-5,23- dien-2,11,22-trione (17) were found to have remarkable inhibitory effects against NF-κB, with IC50 values of 0.08, 0.61, and 1.60 μM, respectively.

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Integrative Transcriptomic, and Proteomic Analysis of Flavonoid Biosynthesis During Fruit Maturation In Chinese Raspberry “Rubus Chingii Hu”

10.21203/rs.3.rs-284541/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xiaobai Li ◽

Jian Sun ◽

Jingyong Jiang ◽

Zhen Chen ◽

Aaron Jackson

Keyword(s):

Anthocyanin Biosynthesis ◽

Flavonoid Biosynthesis ◽

Fruit Maturation ◽

Genetic Base ◽

Kaempferol Glycosides ◽

Flavonoid Composition ◽

Rubus Chingii ◽

Rubus Chingii Hu ◽

Anthocyanin Production ◽

Low Expression

Abstract Rubus chingii, is a red-fruited species of Rubus native to China, which is a popular and nutritious fruit in China. However, change in flavonoid composition and content during fruit maturation is poorly understood. This study examined flavonoids and the genes/proteins during four fruit ripening phases using LC-MS/MS. As a result, six major kinds of anthocyanins were first identified in R. chingii, which primarily consisted of flavanol-anthocyanins, are new to Rubus. Apart from anthocyanins, concentrations of fruit flavonoids were much higher than most berries including raspberries, and it is this that contributes to their high phenolic concentrations and antioxidant capabilities. In contrast to other known raspberries, R. chingii had a decline in flavonoids during fruit maturation, which was due to down-regulation of genes/proteins involved in phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis. Surprisingly, anthocyanin continuously decreased during fruit coloration. This suggests that anthocyanins are not responsible for the fruit’s reddish coloration. The biosynthesis of these flavanol-anthocyanins consumed two flavonoid units both produced through the same upstream pathway. Their presence indicates a reduction in the potential biosynthesis of anthocyanin production. Also, the constantly low expression of RcANS gene down-regulated overall anthocyanin biosynthesis. The lack of RcF3’5’H gene/protein hindered the production of delphinidin glycosides. Flavonoids primarily comprising of quercetin/kaempferol-glycosides were predominately located at fruit epidermal-hair and placentae. The profile and biosynthesis of R. chingii flavonoids are unique to Rubus. It could be used to broaden the genetic base of raspberry cultivars and to improve their fruit quality.

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Genome Assembly and Population Resequencing Reveal the Geographical Divergence of 'Shanmei'(Rubus corchorifolius)

10.1101/2021.11.22.469527 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yinqing Yang ◽

Kang Zhang ◽

Ya Xiao ◽

Lingkui Zhang ◽

Yile Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genome Assembly ◽

Ancestral Population ◽

Effective Population ◽

High Quality ◽

Local Environments ◽

Rubus Species ◽

Rubus Chingii ◽

Rubus Chingii Hu ◽

Genomic Regions ◽

High Quality Genome

Rubus corchorifolius (Shanmei or mountain berry, 2n =14) is widely distributed in China, and its fruit has high nutritional and medicinal values. Here, we report a high-quality chromosome-scale genome assembly of Shanmei, with a size of 215.69 Mb and encompassing 26696 genes. Genome comparisons among Rosaceae species show that Shanmei and Fupenzi(Rubus chingii Hu) are most closely related, and then is blackberry (Rubus occidentalis). Further resequencing of 101 samples of Shanmei collected from four regions in provinces of Yunnan, Hunan, Jiangxi and Sichuan in South China reveals that the Hunan population of Shanmei possesses the highest diversity and may represent the relatively more ancestral population. Moreover, the Yunnan population undergoes strong selection based on nucleotide diversity, linkage disequilibrium and the historical effective population size analyses. Furthermore, genes from candidate genomic regions that show strong divergence are significantly enriched in flavonoid biosynthesis and plant hormone signal transduction, indicating the genetic basis of adaptation of Shanmei to the local environments. The high-quality genome sequences and the variome dataset of Shanmei provide valuable resources for breeding applications and for elucidating the genome evolution and ecological adaptation of Rubus species.

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