Transcriptomic Analyses Reveal Insights into the Shared Regulatory Network of Phenolic Compounds and Steviol Glycosides in Stevia rebaudiana

Author:

Simoni Samuel1,Vangelisti Alberto1,Clemente Clarissa1ORCID,Usai Gabriele1,Santin Marco1ORCID,Ventimiglia Maria1,Mascagni Flavia1ORCID,Natali Lucia1,Angelini Luciana G.12ORCID,Cavallini Andrea1ORCID,Tavarini Silvia12ORCID,Giordani Tommaso1ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DAFE), University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy

2. Interdepartmental Research Centre “Nutraceuticals and Food for Health—NUTRAFOOD”, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy

Abstract

Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) is a highly valuable crop for the steviol glycoside content in its leaves, which are no-calorie sweeteners hundreds of times more potent than sucrose. The presence of health-promoting phenolic compounds, particularly flavonoids, in the leaf of S. rebaudiana adds further nutritional value to this crop. Although all these secondary metabolites are highly desirable in S. rebaudiana leaves, the genes regulating the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds and the shared gene network between the regulation of biosynthesis of steviol glycosides and phenolic compounds still need to be investigated in this species. To identify putative candidate genes involved in the synergistic regulation of steviol glycosides and phenolic compounds, four genotypes with different contents of these compounds were selected for a pairwise comparison RNA-seq analysis, yielding 1136 differentially expressed genes. Genes that highly correlate with both steviol glycosides and phenolic compound accumulation in the four genotypes of S. rebaudiana were identified using the weighted gene co-expression network analysis. The presence of UDP-glycosyltransferases 76G1, 76H1, 85C1, and 91A1, and several genes associated with the phenylpropanoid pathway, including peroxidase, caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase, and malonyl-coenzyme A:anthocyanin 3-O-glucoside-6″-O-malonyltransferase, along with 21 transcription factors like SCL3, WRK11, and MYB111, implied an extensive and synergistic regulatory network involved in enhancing the production of such compounds in S. rebaudiana leaves. In conclusion, this work identified a variety of putative candidate genes involved in the biosynthesis and regulation of particular steviol glycosides and phenolic compounds that will be useful in gene editing strategies for increasing and steering the production of such compounds in S. rebaudiana as well as in other species.

Funder

Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the University of Pisa, Italy

Publisher

MDPI AG

Reference112 articles.

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