Chloroplast C-to-U editing, regulated by a PPR protein BoYgl-2, is important for chlorophyll biosynthesis in cabbage

Leaf color is an important agronomic trait in cabbage ( L. var. ), but the detailed mechanism underlying leaf color formation remains unclear. In this study, we characterized a ( ) mutant 4036Y, which has significantly reduced chlorophyll content and abnormal chloroplasts during early leaf development. Genetic analysis revealed that the yellow-green leaf trait is controlled by a single recessive gene. Map-based cloning revealed that encodes a novel nuclear-targeted P-type PPR protein, which is absent in the 4036Y mutant. Functional complementation showed that from the normal-green leaf 4036G can rescue the yellow-green leaf phenotype of 4036Y. The C-to-U editing efficiency and expression levels of , , and were significantly reduced in 4036Y than that in 4036G, and significantly increased in overexpression lines than that in 4036Y. The expression levels of many plastid- and nuclear-encoded genes associated with chloroplast development in mutant were also significantly altered. These results suggest that participates in chloroplast C-to-U editing and development, which provides rare insight into the molecular mechanism underlying leaf color formation in cabbage.