紫色玉米花色苷合成过程中相关基因家族鉴定及结构方程模型分析OA

[Objective]The paper aimed to investigate the complex relationship between metabolic pathways and multi-gene regulatory net-works during the synthesis of purple maize anthocyanins.[Method]The study explored the interactions between gene families during anthocy-anin synthesis by integrating genomics and transcriptomics analysis and constructing a structural equation model between gene families during anthocyanin synthesis.[Result]A total of 30 gene families associated with anthocyanin biosynthesis in purple maize were systematically iden-tified,encompassing 1840 coding sequences.Gene family expression profiling demonstrated that the structural gene DFR exhibited sustained high expression across all samples and functioned as a key rate-limiting enzyme in anthocyanin biosynthesis,whereas F3'H and ANS main-tained consistently low expression levels.Transcription factors MYB,BHLH and WD40 were highly expressed in all samples,indicating their fundamental roles in the regulatory network.Protein-protein interaction(PPI)network analysis further revealed that proteins including GST,F3H,DFR,CHS,4CL and BHLH possessed high betweenness centrality,occupying hub positions in the regulatory network.Based on the functional roles of the 30 gene families in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway,they were categorized into 7 functional gene sets,and a par-tial least squares structural equation model(PLS-SEM)was constructed accordingly.The model results indicated that sugar transport exerted a significant positive effect on both anthocyanin skeleton synthesis and vacuolar transport,while exerting a negative regulatory effect on antho-cyanin degradation.Additionally,iron homeostasis-related genes and structural modification-related genes synergistically promoted anthocyanin accumulation and inhibited its catabolism.[Conclusion]Bioinformatics analysis identifies core genes within the interaction network,including GST,F3H,DFR,CHS and BHLH.The application of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling(PLS-SEM)to the anthocyanin metabolic network demonstrates that anthocyanin accumulation results from a dynamic balance between carbon metabolism and secondary me-tabolism.These findings provide novel perspectives for elucidating the interactions among gene families involved in anthocyanin synthesis and metabolism,as well as new targets for molecular breeding to develop maize varieties with high anthocyanin content.