Transcriptome analysis reveals anthocyanin acts as a protectant in Begonia semperflorens under low temperature

Anthocyanins are natural bioactive pigments in plants that play important roles in many physiological functions. They are found in various tissues and can protect plants against different stress conditions. Anthocyanins are synthesized and accumulate in nutritional organs, which is crucial for plants to adapt to and resist adverse environmental conditions, including high exposure to light, ultraviolet light, low temperatures, drought, pests and disease. Some progress has been made in understanding the adaptability of anthocyanin to the external environment. Begonia semperflorens is an excellent model for studying the function and regulation of anthocyanin synthesis. To investigate the biosynthesis and regulation of anthocyanins, RNA sequencing techniques were employed to investigate anthocyanin biosynthesis induced by low temperature in B. semperflorens leaves. A total of 74,779 unigenes with a mean length of 1249 bp were assembled. Functional annotations were implemented using five protein databases. Differentially expressed genes involved in the process of anthocyanin biosynthesis were identified. This study represents the first report of a broad-scale gene expression study on B. semperflorens.