[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-detail-432720-en":59,"doc-seo-432720-105":81},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":60},{"doc_id":61,"user_id":62,"nickname":63,"user_avatar":64,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":66,"doc_content":67,"file_id":68,"file_url":69,"file_type":70,"file_size":71,"view_count":8,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":72,"language":73,"language_code":74,"site_id":75,"html_lang":74,"table_of_contents":76,"faqs":77,"seo_title":78,"seo_description":66,"update_tm":79,"read_time":80},432720,5909892210082,"Well Done","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/56001069da27c9f41e8?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1789614185077863061","Carotenoid biosynthesis in Prunus species - from pathway and accumulation structure to diverse pigmentation","Stone fruits (Prunus) display strong commercial and horticultural value, while carotenoids act as key secondary metabolites shaping both fruit appearance and nutritional quality. Carotenoids accumulate in Prunus tissues through chromoplast structures that store and stabilize pigments, producing color variation from pale yellow to deep orange. Gene networks controlling biosynthesis and degradation determine carotenoid profiles, influencing pigmentation diversity across species and cultivars. This review summarizes molecular mechanisms linking the carotenoid pathway to diverse Prunus phenotypes, emphasizing PSY, LCYB/E, BCH1, CCDs, and NCEDs.","Baz et al. Molecular Horticulture (2026) 6:3 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s43897-025-00188-6](https://doi.org/10.1186/s43897-025-00188-6)  \nMolecular Horticulture  \n REVIEW Open Access  \nCarotenoid biosynthesis in Prunus species:   from pathway and accumulation structure to diverse pigmentation  \nNaila Mir Baz1†, Jiahui Wang1†, Xulei Zhao1, Asia Maqbool1, Caizhen Gao1, Pengfei Wang1, Haijiang Chen1 and Hongbo Cao1*  \nAbstract  \nPrunus species, also known as stone fruits, include several eye-catching fruits such as cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, nectarines, etc., which have significant economic value and are widely cultivated worldwide. Carotenoids are important secondary metabolites contributing to stone fruits’ aesthetic appeal and nutritional value. Carotenoids contribute hues ranging from pastel yellow to rich orange in Prunus fruits. Carotenoids accumulate in Prunus tissues through the action of chromoplasts, particular structures that store and stabilize these pigments, giving rise to their vibrant colors. The diversity in carotenoid types and levels among Prunus species and cultivars leads to diverse tissue colors, reflecting their genetic diversity and evolutionary adaptations. The most important genes related to coloration are PSY, LCYB/E, and BCH1, which are responsible for carotenoid biosynthesis, whereas CCDs and NCEDs are involved in the degradation of carotenoids. PSY leads to increased carotenoid accumulation, providing yellow and orange pigmentation. LCYB involved in β-carotene accumulation results in an orange color. LCYE can lead to lutein biosynthesis and contribute to yellow coloration. BCH1 contributes to yellow pigmentation. CCD4 plays an essential role in the flesh color of the fruit, leading to white flesh in Prunus fruits, especially peaches. NCED is involved in abscisic acid formation by degrading carotenoids. Despite the importance of carotenoids, the connection between carotenoid profilesand the diversity of Prunus fruits has received little attention in the past. This review outlines the present knowledge regarding the molecular diversity mechanisms ofthe carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in Prunus fruits.  \nKeywords Carotenoids, Prunus, Biosynthesis, Genetic variability, Chromoplast  \nIntroduction  \nCarotenoids are key plant metabolites that contribute significantly to the aroma and pigmentation of Prunus fruits. As secondary plant metabolites, they are significant for their wide distribution, structural variety, and numerous functions. Belonging to the category of  \n†Naila Mir Baz and Jiahui Wang contributed equally to this study.  \n*Correspondence: Hongbo Cao [yychb@hebau.edu.cn](yychb@hebau.edu.cn)  \n1 College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China  \nisoprenoids, these metabolites are produced by all photosynthetic organisms and some non-photosynthetic prokaryotes, including fungi (Zia-Ul-Haq 2021). They can absorb light energy when it is in an energized state (Llorente et al. 2017). Carotenoids have multiple functions in plants as they help in the process of photosynthesis (Hashimoto et al. 2016; Zhang et al. 2018) and are accessory pigments that help pollination by attracting insects and are precursors of abscisic acid (Hou et al. 2016). Carotenoids have intense biological activity and regulate fruit flavor and color. Carotenoids come in various colors, i.e., colorless to yellow, orange, and red. Color changes and sugar metabolism are crucial physiological  \n© The Author(s) 2026, modified publication 2026. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons li","cbCaip2fFOYSN6gl","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaip2fFOYSN6gl","pdf",4331753,18,"English","en",105,"# Abstract\n# Introduction\n## Carotenoids in Prunus fruits\n## Biosynthetic roles and pigment diversity","[{\"question\":\"What role do carotenoids play in Prunus fruits?\",\"answer\":\"Carotenoids are important secondary metabolites that contribute to the aesthetic appeal and nutritional value of Prunus (stone fruit) species. They also influence fruit flavor and color through multiple biological functions.\"},{\"question\":\"How do carotenoids accumulate in Prunus tissues?\",\"answer\":\"Carotenoids accumulate in Prunus tissues via chromoplasts, which store and stabilize these pigments. This accumulation generates visible color differences among tissues.\"},{\"question\":\"Which genes are highlighted as key for carotenoid biosynthesis and degradation?\",\"answer\":\"The review highlights PSY, LCYB/E, and BCH1 as important genes for carotenoid biosynthesis, while CCDs and NCEDs are involved in carotenoid degradation and related regulation.\"}]","Carotenoid biosynthesis in Prunus species - from pathway and accumulation structure to diverse pigmentation | PDF",1790660955,45,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"ok",{"site_id":75,"language":74,"slug":84,"title":65,"keywords":85,"description":66,"schema_data":86,"social_meta":140,"head_meta":142,"extra_data":144,"updated_unix":145},"carotenoid-biosynthesis-in-prunus-species-from-pathway-and-accumulation-structure-to-diverse-pigmentation","",{"@graph":87,"@context":139},[88,102,122],{"@type":89,"itemListElement":90},"BreadcrumbList",[91,95,97,100],{"item":92,"name":93,"@type":94,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":96,"name":9,"@type":94,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":98,"name":40,"@type":94,"position":99},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":101,"name":65,"@type":94,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/carotenoid-biosynthesis-in-prunus-species-from-pathway-and-accumulation-structure-to-diverse-pigmentation/432720/",{"url":101,"name":65,"@type":103,"image":104,"author":109,"headline":65,"publisher":111,"fileFormat":114,"inLanguage":74,"description":66,"dateModified":115,"datePublished":116,"encodingFormat":114,"isAccessibleForFree":117,"interactionStatistic":118},"DigitalDocument",{"url":105,"@type":106,"width":107,"height":108},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/carotenoid-biosynthesis-in-prunus-species-from-pathway-and-accumulation-structure-to-diverse-pigmentation/432720.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":63,"@type":110},"Person",{"url":92,"name":112,"@type":113},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-30","2026-09-29",true,{"@type":119,"interactionType":120,"userInteractionCount":8},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":121},"ViewAction",{"@type":123,"mainEntity":124},"FAQPage",[125,131,135],{"name":126,"@type":127,"acceptedAnswer":128},"What role do carotenoids play in Prunus fruits?","Question",{"text":129,"@type":130},"Carotenoids are important secondary metabolites that contribute to the aesthetic appeal and nutritional value of Prunus (stone fruit) species. They also influence fruit flavor and color through multiple biological functions.","Answer",{"name":132,"@type":127,"acceptedAnswer":133},"How do carotenoids accumulate in Prunus tissues?",{"text":134,"@type":130},"Carotenoids accumulate in Prunus tissues via chromoplasts, which store and stabilize these pigments. This accumulation generates visible color differences among tissues.",{"name":136,"@type":127,"acceptedAnswer":137},"Which genes are highlighted as key for carotenoid biosynthesis and degradation?",{"text":138,"@type":130},"The review highlights PSY, LCYB/E, and BCH1 as important genes for carotenoid biosynthesis, while CCDs and NCEDs are involved in carotenoid degradation and related regulation.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":101,"og:type":141,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":112,"og:description":66},"article",{"robots":143,"canonical":101},"index,follow",{"doc_id":61,"site_id":75},1790742435]