Coloration differences in three Camellia reticulata Lindl. cultivars: ‘Tongzimian’, ‘Shizitou’ and ‘Damanao’

AbstractCamellia reticulata Lindl., also known as Yunnan Camellia, is an important ornamental plant in China, especially for its large and stunning flowers. A comprehensive understanding of their coloration mechanisms can aid breeders in developing new cultivars and improving their ornamental value; however, it is still unclear in Yunnan Camellia, especially in mixed-color flowers. In this study, we conducted metabolic and transcriptomic comparison analyses to investigate the coloration differences in three Yunnan Camellia cultivars: C. reticulata ‘Shizitou’ (SZT), C. reticulata ‘Damanao’ (MN), and C. reticulata ‘Tongzimian’ (TZM). Our results revealed that the initial flowering stage may play a critical role in the color change of MN. Metabolome analysis demonstrated that cyanidin was the primary anthocyanin in SZT and MN’s red region, while its content was low in TZM and MN’s white region. According to the transcriptome analysis, the anthocyanins biosynthesis pathway was reconstructed in Yunnan Camellia, and the low expression of CHS was detected in TZM and MN’s white region, while ANR maintained a high expression level, which may lead to the low content of cyanidin in them. Transcription factors MYBs, bHLH, and bZIP may play a key role in regulating anthocyanin-structural genes. The co-expression analysis showed that the meristem tissue may play a crucial role in the formation of the mixed white-red color in MN. Our study enriched the genetic basis of flower coloration differences in Yunnan Camellia which will be a valuable genomic resource to understanding the biology of coloration formation and for breeding the Camellia cultivars.