Solanum tuberosum Raw sequence reads

Purple fleshed potatoes tubers accumulate large amounts of anthocyanin content, servicing as functional foods and high-value feedstock. However, the mechanism underlying anthocyanin accumulation in underground organs remains unclear. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in anthocyanin synthesis by regulating gene expression in various action modes. To excavate the differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE lncRNAs) between purple and yellow fleshed potato tubers, the transcriptome sequencing was performed and a total of 1421 DE lncRNAs were identified. Gene Ontology and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) enrichment analyses showed that the target genes of these DE lncRNAs were involved in diverse biological processes and pathways for anthocyanin synthesis, reflecting the functional diversity of the corresponding lncRNAs. A lncRNA-mRNA interaction network was created based on their correlation to investigate the regulatory relationship among them. Notably, lncRNAs like XLOC_060098 and XLOC_017372 might contribute to anthocyanin synthesis by targeting the key enzyme genes and transcription factor genes in the pathway. These findings will be helpful for further unraveling the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in anthocyanin synthesis in potato tubers, and provides theory basis and technical support for the cultivation of functional potato varieties and the improvement of nutritional quality of other underground crops.