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The Camellia sinensis cultivar ‘Naibaicha’ is a natural albino mutant with young shoots that are creamy white in spring and yellow-green or green in summer. The mechanisms underlying this leaf color transformation remain poorly understood. This study aims to investigate the changes in key metabolites and proteomic profiles during the color transition to elucidate the molecular basis of leaf color variation and flavor component formation in ‘Naibaicha’.
One bud and one leaf of ‘Naibaicha’ were collected at the albino, color-turning and green stages. Chlorophyll content, catechin composition, and free amino acid components were measured. In addition, proteomic sequencing and bioinformatic analysis were performed to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and enriched functional pathways.
During the transition from albino to green leaves, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll content increased significantly, whereas total free amino acids and theanine showed a decreasing trend. In contrast, total catechins, galloylated catechins and non-galloylated catechins accumulated continuously, reaching the highest levels at the green stage. Proteomic analysis identified 594 DEPs, including 30 common DEPs. GO enrichment showed that the top three functional categories were cellular process, metabolic process and cellular anatomical entity. KEGG enrichment revealed that the most significantly enriched pathways were photosynthesis, photosynthesis-antenna proteins and carbon metabolism. Two key proteins were identified through bioinformatic screening: the LHC protein (a transmembrane protein involved in plastocyanin-mediated electron transfer) and the PsaF subunit (a key component of thylakoid structure and photosynthesis). Their expression patterns revealed that the photosynthetic system of ‘Naibaicha’ exhibits defects in light capture, electron transfer, and thylakoid assembly during the albino stage.
This study demonstrates that leaf color greening in ‘Naibaicha’ is accompanied by marked increases in chlorophyll and catechin accumulation but a decline in amino acids. The restored expression of these two proteins is crucial for the reconstruction of photosynthetic function and the transition from albino to green leaves. These findings provide a theoretical basis for understanding the mechanisms underlying leaf color transition and flavor substance formation in ‘Naibaicha’.
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| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |
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