The mechanism of white flower formation in Brassica rapa is distinct from that in other Brassica species

Key message A single nucleotide (G) deletion in the third exon of BraA02.PES2-2 ( Bra032957 ) leads to the conversion of flower color from yellow to white in B. rapa , and knockout mutants of its orthologous genes in B. napus showed white or pale yellow flowers. Brassica rapa (2 n = 20, AA) is grown worldwide as an important crop for edible oil and vegetables. The bright yellow flower color and long-lasting flowering period give it aesthetic qualities appealing to countryside tourists. However, the mechanism controlling the accumulation of yellow pigments in B. rapa has not yet been completely revealed. In this study, we characterized the mechanism of white flower formation using a white-flowered natural B. rapa mutant W01. Compared to the petals of yellow-flowered P3246, the petals of W01 have significantly reduced content of yellowish carotenoids. Furthermore, the chromoplasts in white petals of W01 are abnormal with irregularly structured plastoglobules. Genetic analysis indicated that the white flower was controlled by a single recessive gene. By combining BSA-seq with fine mapping, we identified the target gene BraA02.PES2-2 ( Bra032957 ) homologous to AtPES2 , which has a single nucleotide (G) deletion in the third exon. Seven homologous PES2 genes including BnaA02.PES2-2 ( BnaA02g28340D ) and BnaC02.PES2-2 ( BnaC02g36410D ) were identified in B. napus (2 n = 38, AACC), an allotetraploid derived from B. rapa and B. oleracea (2 n = 18, CC). Knockout mutants of either one or two of BnaA02.PES2-2 and BnaC02.PES2-2 in the yellow-flowered B. napus cv. Westar by the CRISPR/Cas9 system showed pale-yellow or white flowers. The knock-out mutants of BnaA02.PES2-2 and BnaC02.PES2-2 had fewer esterified carotenoids. These results demonstrated that BraA02.PES2-2 in B. rapa, and BnaA02.PES2-2 and BnaC02.PES2-2 in B. napus play important roles in carotenoids esterification in chromoplasts that contributes to the accumulation of carotenoids in flower petals.