Effects of Cerium on Accumulation of Anthocyanins and Expression of Anthocyanin Biosynthetic Genes in Potato Cell Tissue Cultures

Abstract The effects of Ce (IV) on callus growth, anthocyanin content, and expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in callus suspension cultures of Solanum tuberosum cv. Chieftain were studied by the measurement of fresh weight, spectrophotometric assays, and semiquantitative RT-PCR. The results indicate that 0.1 mmol·L −1 Ce (IV) can promote callus growth, increase the accumulation of anthocyanins, and enhance the expression of five anthocyanin biosynthetic genes ( CHS, F 3 H, F 3′5′ H, DFR, and 3 GT ) most efficiently. At high concentrations of 1 mmol·L −1 , Ce (IV) partially inhibits callus growth and at 2 mmol·L −1 eventually lends to cell death. The results show that Ce (IV) can induce the expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes to produce and accumulate anthocyanins and increase the yield of anthocyanins.