A Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Purple and Yellow Fleshed Potato Tubers Reveals Long Non-coding RNAs and their Targets Functioned in Anthocyanin Biosynthesis
Abstract Background: Purple fleshed potato tubers accumulate large amounts of anthocyanin content, servicing as functional foods and high-value feedstock. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play an important role in anthocyanin synthesis by regulating gene expression in various action modes. However, the mechanism underlying anthocyanin accumulation mediated by lncRNAs in underground organs remains unclear.Results: To excavate the differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE lncRNAs) between purple and yellow fleshed potato tubers, the transcriptome sequencing was performed and a total of 1421 DE lncRNAs were identified. Gene Ontology and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) enrichment analyses showed that the target genes of these DE lncRNAs were involved in diverse biological processes and pathways for anthocyanin biosynthesis, reflecting the functional diversity of the corresponding lncRNAs. A lncRNA-mRNA interaction network was created based on their correlation to investigate the regulatory relationship among them. Notably, lncRNAs like XLOC_060098 and XLOC_017372 might contribute to anthocyanin synthesis by targeting the key enzyme genes and transcription factor genes in the pathway. Conclusions: The construction of expression profiling of DE lncRNAs and lncRNA-mRNA relationship network is helpful for further unraveling the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in anthocyanin synthesis in potato tubers, and provides theory basis for the cultivation of functional potato varieties and the improvement of nutritional quality of other underground crops.