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Bulletin of Botanical Research ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (5): 838-850.doi: 10.7525/j.issn.1673-5102.2026.05.006

• Original Paper • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Cloning, Expression Analysis and Functional Verification of the PrGSTF12 Gene from Paeonia rockii

Sitong CHEN, Sha LUO, Qianru ZHANG, Jiahui LI, Chen TAO, Qianqian SHI()   

  1. College of Landscape Architecture and Art,Northwest A & F University,Yangling 712100
  • Received:2026-04-14 Online:2026-08-28 Published:2026-10-10
  • Contact: Qianqian SHI E-mail:shiqianqian2005@163.com

Abstract:

Glutathione S-transferase(GST) genes play a crucial role in plant anthocyanin accumulation. To clarify the roles of GSTs in anthocyanin transport and accumulation in the petal blotches of Paeonia rockii, color indices, flavonoid components and contents were determined in petals at different developmental stages. The results indicated that peonidin and cyanidin were the major pigments responsible for the formation of petal blotches. Subsequently, a differentially expressed GST gene, PrGSTF12, was identified and cloned from the petal transcriptome of P. rockii. Subcellular localization, expression analysis, and virus-induced gene silencing(VIGS) were performed to investigate its biological function. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that PrGSTF12 had a close genetic relationship with known GSTs involved in anthocyanin transport. Subcellular localization assays indicated that PrGSTF12 was targeted to the tonoplast, suggesting its function in this cellular compartment. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the expression level of PrGSTF12 was significantly higher in the basal blotch site than that in the non-blotch site of petals, and its expression level was positively correlated with local anthocyanin accumulation. The VIGS assay demonstrated that silencing PrGSTF12 resulted in noticeable fading of the petal basal blotches, accompanied by a significant reduction in anthocyanin content. Meanwhile, the expression levels of anthocyanin synthesis-related genes, including PrCHS, PrCHI, PrF3H, PrF3'H, PrDFR and PrANS, were markedly decreased. In summary, these results demonstrate that PrGSTF12 plays important roles in anthocyanin transport and accumulation in the petal basal blotches of P. rockii and contributes to basal blotch formation.

Key words: Paeonia rockii, petal blotch, PrGSTF12 gene, gene cloning, functional verification

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