title: Swapping one red pigment for another.
abstract: Betalains are bright red and yellow pigments, which are produced in only one order of plants, the Caryophyllales, and replace the more familiar anthocyanin pigments. The evolutionary origin of betalain production is a mystery, but a new study has identified the first regulator of betalain production and discovered a previously unknown link between the two pigment pathways.
authors.affiliation: New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research, Ltd., Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Kevin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D027461:Beta vulgaris / Q000235:genetics*; D050858:Betalains / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D017343:Genes, Plant; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000235:genetics*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D050858:Betalains