Analysis of the expression of β-actin, RuANS and RuMYB10 genes involved in the biosynthesis of anthocyanin using RT-qPCR in Rubus niveus in the Ruminãhui Canton

© 2017-IOS Press and the authors. BACKGROUND: Berries such as Rubus has caught the attention of scientists and consumers because of their nutritional quality. Furthermore, the presence of phenolic compounds specifically anthocyanins have added potential of antiaging, anticarcinogenic and antioxidant properties to the fruit. Gene expression studies have demonstrated the importance of flavonoids and their biosynthetic pathways, further increasing the research interests alternative and natural sources for these compounds. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to analyze the level of expression of -Actin as a control gene, RuANS gene encoding for anthocyanin synthase and RuMYB10 gene encoding for a transcription factor involved in the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in Rubus niveus. METHODS: To investigate the expression of the genes, the polymerase chain reaction with reverse transcription (RT-qPCR) was performed and the Qubit(r) fluorometry equipment for standard curve data. RESULTS: The ANOVA at 95% classified the genes into three homogeneous groups whose means are not statistically different in the gene expression, with an F = 0.46, a p = 0.6348. The results were generated in average: Gene β-Actin: 174,65 ng/mL, which has greater concentration, followed by the RuMYB10 gene: 167.43 ng/mL and finally the gene RuANS with 163,55. CONCLUSIONS: The Rubus niveus specie presents a level of similar expression among the three analyzed genes.