# Integrated Transcriptome and Proteome Analysis Provides New Insights into Starch and Sucrose Metabolism and Regulation of Corm Expansion Process in Colocasia esculenta

## TL;DR

This study explores how starch and sucrose metabolism regulate corm expansion in taro, using integrated transcriptome and proteome analysis to identify key genes and proteins.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the genetic and proteomic regulation of starch biosynthesis and corm development in Colocasia esculenta.

## Key findings

- Amylose and amylopectin contents increase during corm development, showing temporal regulation of starch biosynthesis.
- Differentially expressed genes and proteins linked to starch and sucrose metabolism were identified through integrated transcriptome and proteome data.
- The study reveals a connection between gene/protein expression and starch content changes in taro corms.

## Abstract

This study focuses on Colocasia esculenta, a globally significant tuber crop known for its nutritional value and starch content. While previous research has explored starch accumulation in tubers, the genes and proteins involved in corm expansion are not well understood. This research investigates the ‘Lipu Taro No.1’ variety, analyzing its starch content and conducting full-length transcriptome sequencing and proteomic analysis at the different stages of corm development. Findings show that both amylose and amylopectin contents increase with corm development, indicating temporal regulation of starch biosynthesis. By integrating transcriptome and proteomic data, this study identifies differentially expressed genes and proteins related to starch and sucrose metabolism and plant hormone signal transduction. This reveals a link between starch content changes and gene and protein expression in taro corms. This study provides insights into the temporal gene expression pattern for starch synthesis during corm development, offering valuable information for understanding the regulatory mechanisms of corm expansion and starch deposition, and for developing molecular breeding strategies to improve taro yield and quality.

The global significance of Colocasia esculenta, a tuber crop rich in nutritional value and starch, prompts further investigation into its corm development. Background: Previous studies have focused on starch accumulation within the tubers, yet the genetic and proteomic basis of corm expansion remains largely unexplored. This study aims to elucidate the key genes and proteins involved in this process. Methods: We selected ‘Lipu Taro No.1’ and conducted a longitudinal starch content analysis, full-length transcriptome sequencing, and a proteomic analysis during three distinct stages of corm development. Results: Our findings reveal a significant increase in both amylose and amylopectin contents as the corm develops, indicating the temporal regulation of starch biosynthesis. The integration of transcriptome and proteomic data identified differentially expressed genes and proteins associated with starch and sucrose metabolism, as well as plant hormone signal transduction. Conclusions: This study delineates a temporal gene expression pattern that is crucial for starch synthesis and provides insights into the regulatory mechanisms controlling corm expansion and starch deposition, offering valuable references for future molecular breeding strategies to enhance taro yield and quality.