Relationship between gene expression and the accumulation of catechin during spring and autumn in tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.).

ABSTRACT: The tea plant (Camellia sinensis L.) is an important commercial crop with remarkably high catechin concentrations. Tea is popular worldwide given the plant's health benefits. Catechins are the main astringent substance in tea and are synthesized mainly via the phenylpropanoid pathway. In this study, eight cultivars of tea plants harvested both in spring and autumn were used to investigate differences in catechin concentrations by using high-performance liquid chromatography. The expression levels of genes associated with catechin biosynthesis were investigated using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results indicated that the total catechin (TC) concentrations were significantly higher in tea plants harvested in autumn than in those harvested in spring, base

SUBMITTER: Liu M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4595990 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature