MCR Cordeiro*, FR da Silva, FG Faleiro, NTV Junqueira and AM Costa
Published September 16, 2024
Genet. Mol. Res. 23 (3): gmr2365
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.4238/gmr2365

About the Authors
MCR Cordeiro*, FR da Silva, FG Faleiro, NTV Junqueira and AM Costa

Corresponding author:
MCR Cordeiro
E-mail: maria.cordeiro@embrapa.br

ABSTRACT

Brazil is a center of diversity for the genus Passiflora. Passiflora tenuifila, Killip is a wild species popularly called garlic passion fruit. It has nutritional and functional properties as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic and anti-convulsant. These properties are mainly associated with phenolic compounds, flavonoids, bioactive amines, carotenoids, anthocyanins and vitamin C present in various parts of the plant. In order to identify genes related to the biosynthesis of these compounds responsible for nutritional and functional properties and to the ripening of the fruit we have described the seeds and arils P. tenuifila transcriptome at two different developmental stages. We found the presence of several genes related to different biosynthetic pathways of secondary compounds, in addition to genes related to the Myb transcription factor and the cytochrome P450 enzyme, among others. We found three genes that can be used as reference genes. We have validated the gene expression levels of 4 genes at different stages of fruit ripening by qPCR: (i) caffeic acido- methyltransferase, (ii) leucoanthocyanidin reductase, (iii) ACC synthase and (iv) 4-coumarate-CoA ligase. This is the first report of transcriptome analysis of P. tenuifila.

Key words: Garlic passion fruit; transcriptome; differential expression; qPCR.