The ABA-induced NAC transcription factor MdNAC1 interacts with a bZIP-type transcription factor to promote anthocyanin synthesis in red-fleshed apples

Abstract

Anthocyanins are valuable compounds in red-fleshed apples. The MdMYB10 transcription factor is an important regulator of the anthocyanin synthesis pathway. However, other transcription factors are key components of the complex network controlling anthocyanin synthesis and should be more thoroughly characterized. In this study, we used a yeast-based screening technology to identify MdNAC1 as a transcription factor that positively regulates anthocyanin synthesis. The overexpression of MdNAC1 in apple fruits and calli significantly promoted the accumulation of anthocyanins. In binding experiments, we demonstrated that MdNAC1 combines with the bZIP-type transcription factor MdbZIP23 to activate the transcription of MdMYB10 and MdUFGT. Our analyses also indicated that the expression of MdNAC1 is strongly induced by ABA because of the presence of an ABRE cis-acting element in its promoter. Additionally, the accumulation of anthocyanins in apple calli co-transformed with MdNAC1 and MdbZIP23 increased in the presence of ABA. Therefore, we revealed a novel anthocyanin synthesis mechanism involving the ABA-induced transcription factor MdNAC1 in red-fleshed apples.

Acknowledgements

W.L., Y.W., X.C., and N.W. were responsible for the conception and design of the experiment. W.L., Z.M., T.G., L.Y., Z.L., Q.Z., and S.Z. participated in and completed the experiment. H.F. and Z.Z. contributed to manuscript writing. All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript. This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2020QC144, ZR2022MC017), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32002002) and the Key Research and Develop ment Programs of Shandong Provence (2021LZGC024).

Data availability

The authors confirm that all data from this study are available and can be found in this article and in supplementary information.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

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