Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analysis Reveal the Underlying Mechanism of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Toona sinensis Leaves

Toona sinensis, commonly known as Chinese Toon, is a plant species that possesses noteworthy value as a tree and vegetable. Its tender young buds exhibit a diverse range of colors, primarily determined by the presence and composition of anthocyanins and flavonoids. However, the underlying mechanisms of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Toona sinensis have been rarely reported. To explore the related genes and metabolites associated with composition of leaf color, we conducted an analysis of the transcriptome and metabolome of five distinct Toona clones. The results showed that differentially expressed genes and metabolites involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway were mainly enriched. A conjoint analysis of transcripts and metabolites was carried out in JFC (red) and LFC (green), resulting in the identification of 510 genes and 23 anthocyanin-related metabolites with a positive correlation coefficient greater than 0.8. Among these genes and metabolites, 23 transcription factors and phytohormone-related genes showed strong coefficients with 13 anthocyanin derivates, which mainly belonged to the stable types of delphinidin, cyanidin, peonidin. The core derivative was found to be Cyanidin-3-O-arabinoside, which was present in JFC at 520.93 times the abundance compared to LFC. Additionally, the regulatory network and relative expression levels of genes revealed that the structural genes DFR, ANS, and UFGT1 might be directly or indirectly regulated by the transcription factors SOC1 (MADS-box), CPC (MYB), and bHLH162 (bHLH) to control the accumulation of anthocyanin. The expression of these genes was significantly higher in red clones compared to green clones. Furthermore, RNA-seq results accurately reflected the true expression levels of genes. Overall, this study provides a foundation for future research aimed at manipulating anthocyanin biosynthesis to improve plant coloration or to derive human health benefits.