Integrated Metabolomics and Transcriptome Analysis of Anthocyanin Biosynthetic Pathway in Prunus serrulata

Prunus serrulata is an important landscape tree species whose flower color has high ornamental value. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating flower color in P. serrulata remain unclear. By studying the metabolomics and transcriptomics of three different color varieties under the species lineage of P. serrulata, ‘Eigeng’ (EG, white), ‘Albo-rosea’ (AR, pink), and ‘Grandiflora’ (GF, green), the biosynthetic mechanisms of different flower colors in P. serrulata were revealed. The results showed that the different colors of the petals were related to the content of chlorophyll and anthocyanins. Among these, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and cyanidin-3-O-(6-O-malonyl-β-D-glucoside) were highly expressed in AR. A combined transcriptomic analysis revealed that five flavonoid structural genes, including two DFR genes and three UFGT genes, were specifically expressed. In addition, three key transcription factors, PsMYB77, PsMYB17, and PsMYB105, were identified as regulators of the structural genes DFR and UFGT and participants in the forward synthesis of anthocyanin. This study provides convincing evidence elucidating the regulatory mechanisms of anthocyanin synthesis of P. serrulata and provides a theoretical basis for the breeding and development of new varieties and germplasm resource innovation for cherry blossom.