Open Access

ARTICLE

Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of a Naturally Found Yellowish Leaf Rehmannia chingii H. L. Li Mutant and Wild Type

Lina Song¹, Caijie Yi¹, Shiwei Zhao¹, Yuxin Peng¹, Zijing Li¹, Yuqiang Zhang ², Hua Zhang¹, Helan Qin¹, Huali Zhang^1,*

1 Beijing Academy of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Beijing Key Laboratory of Greening Plants Breeding, Beijing, 100102, China
2 Ecological Division, Beijing Construction Engineering Road and Bridge Group Co., Ltd., Beijing, 100032, China

* Corresponding Author: Huali Zhang. Email:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2025, 94(8), 2593-2613. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2025.068133

Received 21 May 2025; Accepted 05 August 2025; Issue published 29 August 2025

Abstract

Naturally occurring yellow leaf mutants are an important resource for studying pigment content and biosynthesis, as well as related gene expression. In our ongoing cultivation of Rehmannia chingii H. L. Li, we found an off-type yellow plant. The yellowing started with the new leaves and gradually spread downward until the entire plant exhibited a stable shade of yellow. We studied the differences in the chlorophyll and carotenoid content, carotenoid profile, and transcriptome of this yellow-leaf mutant (P2). Compared to the wild-type R. chingii plant (P1), P2 leaves had significantly lower chlorophyll and carotenoid content. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed that P2 had higher quantities of several metabolites in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. Transcriptome sequencing results showed that genes involved in porphyrin metabolism, carbon fixation, photosynthesis and antenna proteins, terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, and carotenoid biosynthesis were differentially expressed between P1 and P2. Large-scale expression differences were observed in the phytohormone and MAPK signaling pathways, as well as in 15 transcription factor families. We discuss possible mechanisms responsible for the yellow leaf color in P2. These preliminary data are valuable for further exploring the molecular mechanisms of leaf color formation and associated pathways.

---

Keywords

---

Supplementary Material

Supplementary Material File

---