Metabolic engineering of anthocyanins and condensed tannins in plants.
Monomeric anthocyanins and polymeric proanthocyanidins (condensed tannins) contribute to important plant traits such as flower and fruit pigmentation, fruit astringency, disease resistance and forage quality. Recent advances in our understanding of the transcriptional control mechanisms that regulate anthocyanin and condensed tannin formation in plants suggest new approaches for the engineering of quality traits associated with these molecules. In particular, MYB family transcription factors are emerging as central players in the coordinated activation of sets of genes specific for the anthocyanin and tannin pathways. Mutations in these genes underlie potentially valuable crop traits, and ectopic over- or under-expression of MYB transcription factors provides routes for engineering of these complex pathways.
Plant Biology Division, Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, 2510 Sam Noble Parkway, Ardmore, OK 73401, USA. radixon@noble.org
Richard A
RA
Dixon
Chenggang
C
Liu
Ji Hyung
JH
Jun
D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005638:Fruit / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D060847:Metabolic Engineering; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000235:genetics; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D044945:Proanthocyanidins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D000872:Anthocyanins; D044945:Proanthocyanidins; D014157:Transcription Factors