Transcriptomic analysis of flower color variation in the ornamental crabapple (Malus spp.) half-sib family through Illumina and PacBio Sequel sequencing

Ornamental crabapple is an important woody ornamental plant with flower colors ranging from white to pink to red, and the degree of redness is directly related to the anthocyanin content. To explore the molecular mechanism leading to the variation in flower color in ornamental crabapple, transcriptome sequencing using the Illumina and PacBio Sequel platforms revealed the difference in gene expression between the petals of plants with white and red flowers in the half-sib family. In total, the analysis identified 603 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 449 upregulated and 154 downregulated genes. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of the DEGs showed that the oxidation-reduction process and catalytic activity were more active in red petals, and most of the DEGs were involved in secondary metabolite synthesis and plant hormone signaling. Among the 603 DEGs, 10 were enriched as structural genes. Transcription factors related to anthocyanin synthesis and five genes related to anthocyanin transport and degradation were highly expressed in red petals. In addition, this study found that five AUX gene signals were differentially expressed in the two petal types. The discovery of these DEGs indicates that plant endogenous hormones also exert a regulatory effect on flower color.