Molecular analysis of anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway genes and their differential expression in mango peel

Mango fruit is cherished by masses for its taste and nutrition, contributed by color, flavor and aroma. Among these, peel color is an important trait contributing to fruit quality and market value. We attempted to elucidate the role of key genes of anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway related to fruit peel color from the leaf transcriptome of cv. Amrapali. A total of 108 mined transcript sequences were assigned to phenylpropanoid flavonoid pathway from which 15 contigs representing anthocyanin biosynthesis genes were annotated. Alternate splice variants were identified by mapping against genes of Citrus clementina/ Vitis vinifera (closest relatives) and determined the protein subcellular localization. Phylogenetic analysis of these pathway genes clustered them into distinct groups aligning with homologous genes of Magnifera indica, C. clementina and Vitis vinifera. Expression profiling revealed higher relative fold expressions in mature fruit peel of red colored varieties (Arunika, Ambika and Tommy Atkins) in...