Carotenoid Accumulation and the Expression of Carotenoid Metabolic Genes in Mango during Fruit Development and Ripening

• Main Authors: Witchulada Yungyuen, Thi Thuong Vo, Apiradee Uthairatanakij, Gang Ma, Lancui Zhang, Nopparat Tatmala, Samak Kaewsuksaeng, Pongphen Jitareerat, Masaya Kato
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: <i>Mangifera indica</i> L.; carotenoid profile; carotenoid regulation; gene expression
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/4249

Carotenoids are considered to be important components in mango fruits. However, there is a lack of understanding about the regulation of carotenoids in mango. To gain an insight into the carotenoid metabolism pathway, carotenoid content and the expression of carotenoid metabolic genes were investigated in the peel and pulp of mango during fruit development and ripening in three cultivars, ‘Kaituk’, ‘Nam Dok Mai No.4′, and ‘Nam Dok Mai Sithong’, which are different in color. The highest carotenoid content was observed in ‘Kaituk’, followed by ‘Nam Dok Mai No.4′ and ‘Nam Dok Mai Sithong’, with the major carotenoid being β-carotene. The gene expression analysis found that carotenoid metabolism in mango fruit was primarily regulated at the transcriptional level. The changing patterns of carotenoid biosynthetic gene expression (<i>MiPSY</i>, <i>MiPDS</i>, <i>MiZDS</i>, <i>MiCRTISO</i>, <i>MiLCYb</i>, <i>MiLCYe</i>, <i>MiHYb</i>, and <i>MiZEP</i>) were similar to carotenoid accumulation, and ‘Kaituk’ exhibited a higher expression level than the other two cultivars. In addition, the differential regulation of carotenoid catabolic genes was found to be a mechanism responsible for variability in carotenoid content among the three mango cultivars. The expression of carotenoid catabolic genes (<i>MiCCD1</i>, <i>MiNCED2</i>, and <i>MiNCED3</i>) more rapidly decreased in ‘Kaituk’, resulting in a larger amount of carotenoids in ‘Kaituk’ than the other two cultivars.