As one of the largest transcription factor family, basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor family plays an important role in plant metabolism, physiology and growth. Berry color is one of the important factors that determine grape quality. However, the bHLH transcription factor family’s function in anthocyanin synthesis of grape berry has not been studied systematically. We identified 115 bHLH transcription factors in grape genome and phylogenetic analysis indicated that bHLH family could be classified into 25 subfamilies. First, we screened six candidate genes by bioinformatics analysis and expression analysis. We found one of the candidate genes VdbHLH037 belonged to III (f) subfamily and interacted with genes related to anthocyanin synthesis through phylogenetic analysis and interaction network prediction. Therefore, we speculated that VdbHLH037 participated in the anthocyanin synthesis process. To confirm this, we transiently expressed VdbHLH037 in grape and Arabidopsis transformation. Compared with the control, transgenic materials can accumulate more anthocyanins. These results provide a good base to study the function of the VdbHLH family in anthocyanin synthesis of grape berry.

作为最大的转录因子家族之一，碱性螺旋-环-螺旋（bHLH）转录因子家族在植物代谢、生理和生长中起着重要作用。浆果颜色是决定葡萄品质的重要因素之一。然而，bHLH转录因子家族在葡萄浆果花青素合成中的作用尚未得到系统研究。我们在葡萄基因组中鉴定了 115 个 bHLH 转录因子，系统发育分析表明 bHLH 家族可分为 25 个亚家族。首先，我们通过生物信息学分析和表达分析筛选出6个候选基因。我们发现了其中一个候选基因VdbHLH037属于III（f）亚科，通过系统发育分析和相互作用网络预测与花青素合成相关基因相互作用。因此，我们推测VdbHLH037参与了花青素的合成过程。为了证实这一点，我们在葡萄和拟南芥转化中瞬时表达了 VdbHLH037 。与对照相比，转基因材料可以积累更多的花青素。这些结果为研究VdbHLH家族在葡萄浆果花青素合成中的作用提供了良好的基础。