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Article|25 Feb 2025|OPEN

Ethylene promotes anthocyanin synthesis in ‘Viviana’ lily via the LvMYB5-LvERF113-LvMYB1 module

Yibing Zhang¹ ^,† , Yibo Sun¹ ^,† , Weifeng Du¹ ^,† , Shaokun Sun² , Shimiao Zhang¹ , Mengyao Nie¹ , Yudong Liu³ , Muhammad Irfan⁴ , Li Zhang¹ ^, and Lijing Chen,¹ ^,

¹Key Laboratory of Agriculture Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Protected Horticulture (Ministry of Education), College of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Shenyang Agricultural University, No. 120 Dongling Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, Liaoning 110161, China
²Institute of Vegetable Research, Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 84 Dongling Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, Liaoning 110161, China
³Key laboratory of Special Fruits and Vegetables Cultivation Physiology and Germplasm Resources Utilization Xinjiang of Production and Construction Crops, College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, No. 221, Beisi Road, Shihezi City, Xinjing 832003, China
⁴Department of Biotechnology, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 40100, Pakistan
*Corresponding author. E-mail: zhangli@syau.edu.cn,chenlijing1997@126.com
^†Yibing Zhang,Yibo Sun and Weifeng Du contributed equally to the study.

Horticulture Research 12,
Article number: uhaf059 (2025)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhaf059
Views: 1712

Received: 24 Sep 2024
Accepted: 16 Feb 2025
Published online: 25 Feb 2025

Abstract

Ethylene (ET) influences the synthesis of anthocyanins, although its regulatory effects can differ significantly across various plant species. In apples (Malus domestica), ET promotes anthocyanin synthesis, whereas in Arabidopsis thaliana, it inhibits its accumulation. Our research showed that ethephon (Eth), an ET derivative, promotes anthocyanin synthesis in ‘Viviana’ lilies, which has great potential in the cut flower industry. The regulatory mechanism whereby ET influences anthocyanin synthesis in lilies remains unclear. In this study, we screened and characterized an ET-induced ET response factors (ERFs), LvERF113, with inhibitory function. Our analyses suggested that LvERF113 could inhibit the negative regulatory function of LvMYB1 at transcriptional and posttranslational levels, promoting anthocyanin synthesis in ‘Viviana’ lily tepals. In addition, LvERF113 is positively regulated by LvMYB5, forming the LvMYB5-LvERF113-LvMYB1 module controlling anthocyanin synthesis by ET in ‘Viviana’ lily. These findings offer new insights into the ET regulatory network of anthocyanin synthesis and provide a theoretical basis for the application of ET derivatives in the cut flower industry.