Abstract:In order to understand the synthesis mechanism of crocin in Gardenia jasminoides fruits, the full-length cDNAs of phytoene synthase gene GjPSY from G. jasminoides were cloned. The results showed that the deduced amino acid sequence of GjPSY had close relation with those from dicotyledonsous plants. The content of crocin-1 in fruits was (3.96±1.48) mg g-1 by HPLC, while crocin-1 was not detected in leaves. It was revealed that crocin-1 exclusively accumulated in fruits. The RT-PCR analysis revealed that the expression of GjPSY in fruits was not differences from that in leaves. Therefore, it was suggested that the crocin synthesis in G. jasminoides fruits had not correlation with transcription level of GjPSY gene.