Carotenoid Biosynthetic Genes in Cabbage: Genome-Wide Identification, Evolution, and Expression Analysis

Carotenoids are natural functional pigments produced by plants and microorganisms and play essential roles in human health. Cabbage ( L. var. L.) is an economically important vegetable in terms of production and consumption. It is highly nutritious and contains β-carotene, lutein, and other antioxidant carotenoids. Here, we systematically analyzed carotenoid biosynthetic genes (CBGs) on the whole genome to understand the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway in cabbage. In total, 62 CBGs were identified in the cabbage genome, which are orthologs of 47 CBGs in . Out of the 62 CBGs, 46 genes in cabbage were mapped to nine chromosomes. Evolutionary analysis of carotenoid biosynthetic orthologous gene pairs among , , and revealed that orthologous genes of underwent a negative selection similar to that of . Expression analysis of the CBGs showed functional differentiation of orthologous gene copies in and . Exogenous phytohormone treatment suggested that ETH, ABA, and MeJA can promote some important CBGs expression in cabbage. Phylogenetic analysis showed that exhibit high conservatism. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that are located in the chloroplast. This study is the first to study carotenoid biosynthesis genes in cabbage and provides a basis for further research on carotenoid metabolic mechanisms in cabbage.