Fruit of Lonicera caerulea L.is a rich source of phenolic compounds such as phenolic acids as well as anthocyanins,proanthocyanidins and other flavonoids,which display potential health-promoting effects.However,its genetics and genomic information is limited.Transcriptome and digital gene expression(DGE)profiles of fruit at four different development stages were compared.Related genes with anthocyanin biosynthesis were compared using real-time quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR).RNA-Seq generated 6.26-Gb clean reads,which was then de novo assembled into 45,656 UniGenes with a mean length 837 bp.A total of 7 928 unigenes were annotated into 32 known metabolic or signaling pathways in which a few primary,intermediate,and secondary metabolic pathways are directly related to fruit quality.The result of DGE and qRT-PCR indicates that UFGT(comp20132_c0)may play a key role in honeysuckle coloration.This provides a reference for the study of complicated metabolism in non-model perennial species.