RNA sequencing of red fruits of the Dongkui (DK) cultivar and the pink-white fruits of the Baidongkui (BDK) strain of Chinese bayberry

We have performed a transcriptome analysis of genes at three different ripening stages of the pink-white fruits and the ripe stage of the red fruits of Chinese bayberry. This analysis provided a total of 119,701 unigenes, of which 41.43% were annotated in the Nr database. Our results showed that the formation of the pink-white color in Chinese bayberry fruits depended on the anthocyanin metabolic pathway, regulated by MYB1. Downregulated expression of key anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway genes, such as UFGT, F3'H, and ANS at the late stage of fruits development compared with DK3 fruits resulted in the failure to form red fruits. Our findings shed light on the regulatory mechanisms and metabolic processes that control color development in the fruits of Chinese bayberry. Overall design: the BDK transcriptome at three different fruits ripening stages (55 d, 70 d, and 85 d after flowering) and the DK transcriptome at the ripe fruits stage (85 d after flowering).