Background: Prunus cistena is an excellent color leaf configuration tree for urban landscaping in the world, which has purplish red leaves, light pink flowers, plant shape and high ornamental value. Genomic resources for P. cistena are scarce, and a clear phylogenetic and evolutionary history for this species has yet to be elucidated. Here, we sequenced and analyzed the complete chloroplast genome of P. cistena and compared it with related species of the genus Prunus based on the chloroplast genome. Results: The complete chloroplast genome of P. cistena is a 157,935 bp long typical tetrad structure, with an overall GC content of 36.72% and higher GC content in the in the inverted repeats (IR) regions than in the large single-copy (LSC) and small single-copy (SSC) regions. It contains 130 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The ycf3 and clpP genes have two introns, with the longest intron in the trnK-UUU gene in the LSC region. Moreover, the genome has a total of 253SSRs, with the mononucleotide SSRs being the most abundant. The chloroplast sequences and gene arrangements of P. cistena are highly conserved, with the overall structure and gene order similar to other Prunus species. The atpE, ccsA, petA, rps8, and matK genes have undergone significant positive selection in Prunus species. P. cistena has a close evolutionary relationship with P. jamasakura. The coding and IR regions are more conserved than the noncoding regions, and the chloroplast DNA sequences are highly conserved throughout the genus Prunus. Conclusions: The current genomic datasets provide valuable information for further species identification, evolution, and phylogenetic research of the genus Prunus.

The peel color of pomegranates is an important exterior quality that determines market value. Anthocyanins are biosynthesized in the cytosol and then transported to the vacuole for storage. However, the molecular mechanism that determines the color variation between red and white pomegranates remains unclear. In this study, we identified an R2R3-MYB protein (PgMYB1) that interacts with the PgGSTF6 promoter and regulates its transcriptional expression, thus promoting the accumulation of anthocyanins in pomegranate. The expression of PgMYB1 and PgGSTF6 was positively correlated with the anthocyanin content in red and white pomegranates. Further investigation showed that the knockdown of PgMYB1 in red pomegranate ‘Taishanhong’ (TSH), by the virus-induced gene-silencing system, inhibited anthocyanin accumulation. Together, our results indicate that PgMYB1 controls the transport of anthocyanin via PgGSTF6 and thus promotes anthocyanin accumulation in red pomegranates. Our results have a certain reference value for further clarifying the regulation of anthocyanin synthesis and transport in pomegranate fruits.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a well-known fruit tree species and a significant pioneer ecological species on saline–alkali land with moderate resistance to salt stress. To explore its response mechanism to salt stress could provide valuable insights into the molecular and physiological strategies plants employ to adapt and survive in high-salt environments. In this study, changes in physiological parameters and gene expressions were examined following salt treatment. After 72 h of salt treatment, change patterns of SOD and POD differed between high and low salt concentrations. Similar changes were found in the contents of proline and total soluble sugar. RNA-Seq analysis of fifteen samples detected 32,630 genes from the pomegranate genome data. A total of 6571 DEGs, including 374 TFs, were identified across different treatments. Six special modules and 180 hub genes were obtained by WGCNA analysis. Functional annotation highlighted signaling pathways and the accumulation of primary and secondary metabolites as significant pathways. These findings could reveal the salt tolerance mechanism in pomegranate leaves, offering a theoretical foundation for enhancing plant salt tolerance through genetic engineering.

Background Prunus Cistena is an excellent color leaf configuration tree for urban landscaping in the world, which has purplish red leaves, light pink flowers, plant shape and high ornamental value. Genomic resources for P. Cistena are scarce, and a clear phylogenetic and evolutionary history for this species has yet to be elucidated. Here, we sequenced and analyzed the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of P. Cistena and compared it with related species of Prunus genus based on chloroplast genome.Results The complete chloroplast genome of P. Cistena was 157,935 bp in length, which had a typical tetrad structure. The overall GC content was 36.72%, while IR regions displayed a higher GC content than LSC and SSC regions. It encoded 130 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The ycf3 and clpP genes had two introns; the longest intron was trnK-UUU gene in the LSC region. There were 253 SSRs, and the mononucleotide SSRs were the most abundant. The chloroplast sequences and gene arrangements of P. Cistena were conserved, which overall structure and gene order were similar to other Prunus species. The atpE, ccsA, petA, rps8 and matK gene had significant positive selection in Prunus species. P. Cistena had a close evolutionary relationship with the P. jamasakura. The coding region and IR region were more conserved than noncoding region, and the cpDNA sequences highly conserved throughout the genus Prunus.Conclusions The current genomic datasets provide valuable information for further species identification, evolution, and phylogenetic research of genus Prunus.