Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of Family Genes Associated with Petal Pigment Synthesis in .

The MYB transcription factor family is one of the largest families in plants, and its members have various biological functions. genes are involved in the synthesis of pigments that yield petal colors. plants are widely cultivated as ornamental trees owing to their peculiar leaves, tulip-like flowers, and colorful petals. However, the mechanism underlying petal coloring in this species is unknown, and minimal information about genes in is available. Herein, this study aimed to discern gene(s) involved in petal coloration in via genome-wide identification, HPLC, and RT-qPCR assays. In total, 204 superfamily genes were identified in the genome, and 85 genes were mapped onto 19 chromosomes. Chromosome 4 contained the most (10) genes, and chromosomes 14 and 16 contained the fewest (only one). MEME analysis showed that R2R3-MYB proteins in were highly conserved and that their exon-intron structures varied. The HPLC results showed that three major carotenoids were uniformly distributed in the petals of , while lycopene and β-carotene were concentrated in the orange band region in the petals of . Furthermore, the expression profiles via RT-qPCR assays revealed that four genes were expressed at the highest levels at the S3P/S4P stage in . This result combined with the HPLC results showed that these four genes might participate in carotenoid synthesis in the petals of . This work laid a cornerstone for further functional characterization of genes in plants.