Publications by authors named "Hongmao Gao"
Article Synopsis
- Pitaya, known for its exotic and nutritious fruit, has untapped potential in its peel as a source of bioactive compounds, which may benefit the pharmaceutical industry.
- Recent advancements in metabolomics have allowed researchers to analyze the diverse metabolites present in different parts of the pitaya plant, specifically studying two commercial varieties: green and red pitaya.
- The study identified 433 metabolites across nine categories, highlighting that red pitaya peel and pulp are rich in beneficial compounds, suggesting that integrating pitaya peel into the pharmaceutical and food sectors could lead to more sustainable practices.
Background: Elucidating the candidate genes and key metabolites responsible for pulp and peel coloration is essential for breeding pitaya fruit with new and improved appeal and high nutritional value. Here, we used transcriptome (RNA-Seq) and metabolome analysis (UPLC-MS/MS) to identify structural and regulatory genes and key metabolites associated with peel and pulp colors in three pitaya fruit types belonging to two different Hylocereus species.
Result: Our combined transcriptome and metabolome analyses suggest that the main strategy for obtaining red color is to increase tyrosine content for downstream steps in the betalain pathway.