Acta Agriculturae Boreali-Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (4): 51-62. doi: 10.7668/hbnxb.20196371

Special Issue: Chinese cabbage Biotechnology Vegetables

• Crop Genetics & Breeding·Germplasm Resources·Biotechnology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Diploid vs.Tetraploid Comparison:Flavonoid Accumulation and Associated Differential Gene Expression in Chinese Cabbage

CHEN Jing1, WU Fang2, WANG Mingqiu2, LIU Xiaodong2, CHEN Xiaoshan2, TIAN Guijin1, WU Jiarong2, CAO Xia1, MENG Chuan2   

  1. 1 College of Horticulture Science and Technology, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China
    2 Institute of Cash Crops, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050051, China
  • Received:2025-08-14 Published:2026-08-28

Abstract:

Flavonoids,as bioactive compounds in Chinese cabbage,possess antioxidant,anti-aging,and cancer-preventive properties.To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the differences in flavonoid accumulation among different ploidy Chinese cabbage materials,this study utilized 25 diploid and 25 tetraploid high-generation homozygous inbred lines.The total flavonoid content was systematically compared,and extreme lines were selected for transcriptome(RNA-Seq)analysis.Through KEGG pathway enrichment analysis,genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis were identified,and RT-qPCR was employed to validate the expression patterns of differentially expressed genes and construct a transcription factor regulatory network.The results showed that the average total flavonoid content in tetraploid materials(10.96 mg/g)was slightly higher than that in diploid materials(10.36 mg/g).RNA-Seq analysis revealed 11 610 differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in diploid comparison groups and 6 659 DEGs in tetraploid comparison groups,with 3 598 common DEGs shared between them.KEGG enrichment analysis identified 34 candidate genes in the flavonoid and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathways.Six key genes(PAL1,4CL3,CHS3,CHI,CHI3,FLS1)were screened and found to be upregulated in high-flavonoid diploid and tetraploid materials.Among them,CHI3 expression was significantly higher in high-flavonoid tetraploid materials than in diploid materials.Additionally,27 bHLH and 19 MYB transcription factors were identified,and regulatory network analysis indicated that the MYB network was more complex and dominant than the bHLH network.RT-qPCR analysis confirmed that the expression patterns of the six selected key DEGs were consistent with the RNA-Seq data.This study identifies key structural genes and major transcription factors in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway,revealing the important role of CHI3 in promoting flavonoid accumulation in tetraploid Chinese cabbage,thereby providing candidate genes and a theoretical foundation for breeding high-flavonoid Chinese cabbage.

Key words: Brassica rapa L.ssp. pekinensis, Total flavonoids, Transcriptome, KEGG enrichment analysis, Transcription factors

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Cite this article

CHEN Jing, WU Fang, WANG Mingqiu, LIU Xiaodong, CHEN Xiaoshan, TIAN Guijin, WU Jiarong, CAO Xia, MENG Chuan. Diploid vs.Tetraploid Comparison:Flavonoid Accumulation and Associated Differential Gene Expression in Chinese Cabbage[J]. Acta Agriculturae Boreali-Sinica, 2026, 41(4): 51-62. doi: 10.7668/hbnxb.20196371.

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