Alfalfa Flower Pigment and Gene Expression Profiles for Five Color Types

25.0 MB of integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic data investigates the purple color gradient in alfalfa flowers. The study quantifies two key anthocyanins, delphinidin-3,5-O-diglucoside and malvidin-3,5-O-diglucoside, across five flower types from white to dark purple. It identifies 580 common significant differentially expressed genes, including 24 transcription factors, linking gene expression to pigment accumulation.

Use Cases

• Correlate expression levels of candidate genes like MSTRG.59017 and MSTRG.14861 with measured anthocyanin contents across the five flower types.
• Analyze the 580 common significant differentially expressed genes (CSDEGs) to identify regulatory patterns in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway.
• Model the relationship between the ratio of blue to red pigments and gene expression trends across the ZH1 to ZH4 purple gradient.
• Validate transcriptomic findings by comparing RNA-seq data with qRT-PCR results for key genes involved in pigment synthesis and transport.

Strengths

• Data integrates two omics layers, metabolomics and transcriptomics, for a multi-faceted analysis of flower color.
• Study design includes five distinct biological samples (white and four purple shades) enabling gradient analysis.
• Identifies 580 common significant differentially expressed genes and pinpoints 29 genes definitively involved in the anthocyanin biosynthesis chain.
• Uses LC-ESI-MS/MS for precise quantification of anthocyanin and carotenoid contents.

Limitations

• The dataset is a single, static snapshot from a specific study; sample size and biological replicates are not specified.
• Data is contained within an XLSX file, requiring manual extraction and parsing for computational analysis.
• Findings are specific to alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and the studied flower color phenotypes, limiting direct generalizability.

Provenance

Source

Figshare, authored by Hongqi Du.

Collection Method

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

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.