Transcriptome Analysis Reveals genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis and accumulation in Dendrobium catenatum From Different Locations

In this study, we applied transcriptome and UHPLC-MS technologies to investigate the flavonoids and their biosynthesis- and accumulation-related genes in Dendrobium catenatum from three different locations. Eight flavonoid glycosides were identified using standard references or previously isolated substances with MS data analysis. The total flavonoid contents were determined by reagents, and all the data were analyzed. In total, 23139 unigenes were obtained using the Dendrobium catenatum genome data. Of these, 10398 were annotated in the Gene Ontology (GO) database, 4203 were annotated in the KEGG database, and 10917 were annotated in the EuKaryotic Orthologous Groups (KOG) database. Thirty-one of the unigenes annotated by the KEGG database were involved in flavonoid pathways. The genes involved in bio-modification, accumulation, transportation and the regulation of the flavonoid bio-synthesis process were investigated. In conclusion, the flavonoids in Dendrobium catenatum from three different locations were different in quantitative and qualitative which may contribute to the establishment of quality control method for this herbal plant. These differences were determined by flavonoids biosynthesis process and they were concluded by sorting out the expression level of certain biosynthesis related genes.