The Relationship Between Pigment Composition&Content As Well As The Expression Of Key Genes And Coloration Of Anthurium Spathe

Anthurium andraeanum Linden belongs to the Anthurium genus in Araceae, is a perennial herbaceous plant. It is native to tropical rainforest in South America area and cultivated all over the world nowadays. Anthurium andraeanum has high ornamental value because of long flowering, distinctive shape and colourful spathe. As the mainly ornamental organ of anthurium, the spathe contain several colors, and the main color is red, pink, brown, orange, green and white, but lack yellow and blue. In this study, we would analyzed the reasons of color variation by biosynthetic pathway of flavonoid, to lay foundation for illustrated the molecular mechanism of color formation, provided ideas for color breeding of anthurium, also provided a reference for related research of other ornamental plant with bracts, and some color-leafed plant.This research used the slice observation, chromogenic method and colorimetric method to analyzed the distribution as well as the kinds and contents of pigments in23varieties of anthurium spathe (plant material I) to understood the role of various types of pigments on anthurium spathe coloration.In order to clarified the molecular mechanisms of anthurium spathe color formation, UV-visible spectrophotometer had been used to determinated the total flavonoids (TFC) and total anthocyanins (TAC) levels for the development stage of6colors spathe (plant material II).And analyzed the composition and contents of flavonoids in spathe different developmental stages using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). To ACTB, UBQ7as the reference gene,the experiment simultaneously used real-time PCR technology to analyzed the expression patterns of key genes (CHS, F3H, DFR, ANS and F3’H) which is importent to flavonoid synthesis in anthurium spathe different developmental stages(plant material II). On this basis, analyzing the relationship between pigment composition&contents as well as the expression of key genes and coloration of anthurium spathe.The results showed that anthurium spathe mainly contains flavonoids (total anthocyanins, flavones and flavonols) pigment, chlorophyll, few varieties contain carotenoids. The total anthocyanin and chlorophyll is the main factor in spathe coloration, with the increase in total anthocyanin content (TAC), the red and pink spathe red tones enhanced a*=11.542TAC-0.581TFC+60.367(R2=0.364), chlorophyll content (TCh) increase may strengthen green and yellow tones of green and white spathe. The improve of the CHS expression level contributes to the increase of flavonoids total contents in the spathe, making the spathe more colorful (chroma C value increases). Increase in the relative expression of CHS in ’Tropical’,’Rapido’spathe helps to improve the TAC and spathe color brightness L value, making the spathe red tones and brightness enhanced.The addition of DFR expression level will make the flavonoids contents increase which is contributed to the degree of color bright in anthurium spathe. Meanwhile, DFR relative expression levels growing in number is beneficial to accumulation of total anthocyanin in ’Coffee’ spathe, making spathe color tend to the direction of red. The amount of ANS relative expression increased will make the total anthocyanin contents increase and lightness decrease, deepening in red tones spathe. It is well to increase the total anthocyanin contents of ’Tropical’ and ’Rapido’ spathe and the anthocyanin3’hydroxyl level of ’Tropical’&’Coffee’ spathe as well as the3’OH pigments contents of ’Cheers’ spathe when the amount of ANS relative expression reinforced, making the spathe trend to red tones.