Integrative physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses discover the sugar, organic acid, and anthocyanin biosynthetic pathways in developing fruits of southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) under semi-closed greenhouse conditions
- 1Forestry and Fruit Tree Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinqi Road No. 1000, Fengxian District, Shanghai, 201403 China
- 2Shanghai Key Lab of Protected Horticultural Technology, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinqi Road No. 1000, Fengxian District, Shanghai, 201403 China
Abstract
Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is an important berry crop recognized for its distinct flavor, color, and high nutritional value. To enhance our understanding of the potential regulatory pathways that determine fruit quality during berry development under semi-closed greenhouse conditions, we analyzed the physiological properties of developing fruits; moreover, we conducted an integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis. The results revealed that total anthocyanin, total soluble sugar, and individual sugars (mainly fructose and glucose) significantly increased during fruit development and maturation, whereas organic acid (mainly quinic acid and citric acid) levels markedly decreased. Sucrose synthetase (SS), sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), and phosphofructokinase (PFK) play vital roles in sugar accumulation, while phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), NADP-malic enzyme (NADP-ME), and NAD-malate dehydrogenase (NAD-MDH) are crucial for organic acid metabolism. A substantial number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were identified. The study findings provide a foundation for understanding the mechanisms of sugar accumulation, organic acid degradation, and anthocyanin synthesis and metabolism, as well as offer valuable insights into the development of effective marker-assisted breeding approaches for blueberries.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-09591-7.
Related
- Protocol for integrative transcriptomic/metabolomic analysis: A case study on factors influencing the oyster-POMS disease
- Integrative Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses Reveal Molecular Processes Associated with Differential Embryo Dehydration in Maize.
- Genome mining, antibacterial activity, and metabolomic profiling reveal the biosynthetic potential of Burkholderia glumae isolates from Thailand with activity against clinically important bacterial pathogens
- Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analysis of OsMRS2-6 in Rice Growth and Chloroplast Traits
- Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analysis Reveals MeJA-Mediated Flavonoid Biosynthesis in Cyclocarya paliurus Callus
BibTeX
@article{an2026integrative,
title = {{Integrative physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses discover the sugar, organic acid, and anthocyanin biosynthetic pathways in developing fruits of southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) under semi-closed greenhouse conditions}},
author = {Haishan An and Shuang Jiang and Shuigen Li and Xueying Zhang and Xiaofeng Yang},
journal = {BMC Plant Biology},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s12870-026-09591-7},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-09591-7},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Integrative physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses discover the sugar, organic acid, and anthocyanin biosynthetic pathways in developing fruits of southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) under semi-closed greenhouse conditions
AU - Haishan An
AU - Shuang Jiang
AU - Shuigen Li
AU - Xueying Zhang
AU - Xiaofeng Yang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/07
JO - BMC Plant Biology
DO - 10.1186/s12870-026-09591-7
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-09591-7
AB - Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is an important berry crop recognized for its distinct flavor, color, and high nutritional value. To enhance our understanding of the potential regulatory pathways that determine fruit quality during berry development under semi-closed greenhouse conditions, we analyzed the physiological properties of developing fruits; moreover, we conducted an integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis. The results revealed that total anthocyanin, total soluble sugar, and individual sugars (mainly fructose and glucose) significantly increased during fruit development and maturation, whereas organic acid (mainly quinic acid and citric acid) levels markedly decreased. Sucrose synthetase (SS), sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), and phosphofructokinase (PFK) play vital roles in sugar accumulation, while phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), NADP-malic enzyme (NADP-ME), and NAD-malate dehydrogenase (NAD-MDH) are crucial for organic acid metabolism. A substantial number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were identified. The study findings provide a foundation for understanding the mechanisms of sugar accumulation, organic acid degradation, and anthocyanin synthesis and metabolism, as well as offer valuable insights into the development of effective marker-assisted breeding approaches for blueberries. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-09591-7.
SN - 1471-2229
ER -