Influences of RNAi-induced Fa4CL silencing on anthocyanin metabolism in strawberry fruit

【Objective】We studied the role that Fa4 CL gene plays in the anthocyanin metabolism of straw-berry by constructing the interference vector that infected the fruit. 【Methods】The Fa4 CL gene wascloned from‘Albi'strawberry fruit(Fragaria × ananassa‘Albion') using RT-PCR. We built intron-freehairpin interference vector p BI-4CLi,transformed it into agrobacterium GV3101,injected the bacteriuminto strawberry fruit with a sterile syringe 14 days after pollination,and then investigated the changes inphenotypes,materials,and 4CL gene expression in the transfected fruit and control. 【Results】Thecloned Fa4 CL c DNA has 1638 bp and encodes 545 amino acids. Its sequence is more closely related toFragaria vesca,with homology up to 98.4%. The red color of transfected fruit peels became shallow. Fur-ther analysis with RT-PCR indicated that the expression of Fa4 CL gene was significantly depressed inthe transfected fruit. The content of anthocyanin glucoside and pelargonidin glycosides decreased by93.5% and 97.0% in p BI-4CLi transfected fruit compared with that in the control fruit at the significantlevel.【Conclusion】The experimental results show that the Fa4 CL gene was successfully silenced and it isclosely associated with the synthesis of anthocyanins in strawberry fruit.