Skip Navigation


JXB Advance Access originally published online on August 29, 2008
Journal of Experimental Botany 2008 59(13):3563-3573; doi:10.1093/jxb/ern210
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
59/13/3563    most recent
ern210v1
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (2)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Clotault, J.
Right arrow Articles by Geoffriau, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Clotault, J.
Right arrow Articles by Geoffriau, E.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Clotault, J.
Right arrow Articles by Geoffriau, E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author [2008]. Published by Oxford University Press [on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology]. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

RESEARCH PAPER

Expression of carotenoid biosynthesis genes during carrot root development

Jérémy Clotault1, Didier Peltier2,*, Romain Berruyer2, Mathieu Thomas1, Mathilde Briard1 and Emmanuel Geoffriau1

1Institut National d'Horticulture, IFR 149 Quasav, UMR 1259 GenHort, F-49045 Angers, France
2Université d'Angers, IFR 149 Quasav, UMR 1259 GenHort, F-49045 Angers, France

* To whom correspondence should be addressed: E-mail: peltier{at}univ-angers.fr

Carotenogenesis has been extensively studied in fruits and flower petals. Transcriptional regulation is thought to be the major factor in carotenoid accumulation in these organs. However, little is known about regulation in root organs. The root carotenoid content of carrot germplasm varies widely. The present study was conducted to investigate transcriptional regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis genes in relation to carotenoid accumulation during early carrot root development and up to 3 months after sowing. HPLC carotenoid content analysis and quantitative RT-PCR were compared to quantify the expression of eight genes encoding carotenoid biosynthesis enzymes during the development of white, yellow, orange, and red carrot roots. The genes chosen encode phytoene synthase (PSY1 and PSY2), phytoene desaturase (PDS), {zeta}-carotene desaturase (ZDS1 and ZDS2), lycopene {varepsilon}-cyclase (LCYE), lycopene β-cyclase (LCYB1), and zeaxanthin epoxidase (ZEP). All eight genes were expressed in the white cultivar even though it did not contain carotenoids. By contrast with fruit maturation, the expression of carotenogenic genes began during the early stages of development and then progressively increased for most of these genes during root development as the total carotenoid level increased in coloured carrots. The high expression of genes encoding LCYE and ZDS noted in yellow and red cultivars, respectively, might be consistent with the accumulation of lutein and lycopene, respectively. The results showed that the accumulation of total carotenoids during development and the accumulation of major carotenoids in the red and yellow cultivars might partially be explained by the transcriptional level of genes directing the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway.

Key words: Carotenoid accumulation, Daucus carota, gene expression, root development

Received 1 April 2008; Revised 25 June 2008 Accepted 17 July 2008


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J Exp BotHome page
O. Ahrazem, A. Rubio-Moraga, R. C. Lopez, and L. Gomez-Gomez
The expression of a chromoplast-specific lycopene beta cyclase gene is involved in the high production of saffron's apocarotenoid precursors
J. Exp. Bot., September 18, 2009; (2009) erp283v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.