Alfalfa Flower Pigment and Gene Expression Profiles Across Five Color Types

Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic data profiles five alfalfa flower types, from white to four shades of purple. The analysis identified 580 common significant differentially expressed genes and quantified key anthocyanin pigments like delphinidin-3,5-O-diglucoside. The dataset was created by Hongqi Du and published on figshare in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Correlate the expression levels of 580 common significant DEGs with anthocyanin content across the five flower color gradients.
• Identify candidate transcription factors, such as MYB and bHLH, involved in regulating the purple color formation in alfalfa flowers.
• Analyze the relationship between the ratio of blue to red pigments and the expression trends of the 108 regularly trending genes.
• Model the co-regulation of pigment synthesis and transport pathways using the 29 genes definitively involved in the anthocyanin biosynthesis chain.

Strengths

• Data integrates two omics layers—metabolomics and transcriptomics—for a multi-faceted biological analysis.
• Focuses on 580 common significant differentially expressed genes identified across four comparative analyses.
• Includes validation of transcriptome data via quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).

Limitations

• The dataset is small at 1.8 MB, limiting the scope for large-scale machine learning modeling.
• Specific sample sizes (e.g., number of biological replicates per flower type) are not provided in the description.
• Data is contained within a single XLS file, which may require parsing to separate metabolomic and transcriptomic components.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Integrated analysis of LC-ESI-MS/MS metabolomics and RNA-seq transcriptomics on five alfalfa flower types.

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.