Flavonoids are widely distributed within the plant kingdom with a divers spectrum of functions including UV protection and pathogen defense.
In the plant model species Arabidopsis thaliana, an evolutionary conserved gene network encoding WDR, bHLH, and MYB proteins regulates several adaptive traits including seed coat pigmentation and the accumulation of anthocyanin. Both are flavonoid related traits that melt down to a differential regulation of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. Can we identify genes acting upstream, downstream or even within the network affecting a particular trait?
In a quantitative genetic project, we analyzed developmental traits including the core flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. For a precise trait acquisition, we developed a fast and simple LC-MS fingerprinting of seed flavonoid composition comprising a simplified sample preparation, reduced complexity of methanolic extracts, deuterated internal standards and a short but efficient LC separation and detection with tandem MS in multiple reaction monitoring mode.
When comparing early and late core substances of the pathway, shifts and changes of the flavonoid core biosynthesis were detectable for a set of A. thaliana accessions with worldwide origin. We link phenotypes to genotypes in genome-wide association studies (GWASs). This not only provides an extensive resource of candidates regulating the flavonoid biosynthesis but also extends our solid knowledge which is still based on few accessions.