• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.292-297
• /
• 2010

Anthocyanin, a phenolic compound, is a pigment that shows blue or red color in the fruit, petal and other tissues. It is an important factor in grape berry skin pigment and accumulates only in the skin. This skin-specific accumulation of anthocyanin has been reported to be regulated by the ufgt gene which encodes UDP-glucose: flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase that participates in the biosynthesis of anthocyanin. The ufgt gene is expressed only in berry skin, while the other genes involved in the biosynthetic pathway are expressed in both skin and flesh tissues. In order to determine whether anthocyanin accumulation is primarily regulated by compartment of UFGT, a ufgt cDNA clone was isolated from grape berry, its open reading frame was ligated in pBI121 vector in either a sense or an antisense orientation under the control of the CaMV35S promoter and the recombinant constructs were incorporated into tobacco plants. Several transgenic lines were selected and characterized to determine the level of expression of the grapevine ufgt transcript and endogenous homologs of tobacco. Compared to the wild-type, the amount of anthocyanins in sense transgenic plants increased by 44%, while the amount of anthocyanins in antisense transgenic plants decreased by 88%. In addition, the color of flowers became intense in the sense transgenic plants. These results suggest that over-expression or repression of the ufgt gene affected the accumulation of anthocyanin in flowers of tobacco.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
• /
• v.2 no.4
• /
• pp.233-238
• /
• 2008

Kadainou R-1, an interspecific hybrid grape derived from red (Vitis ficifolia var. ganebu) and white (V. vinifera cv. Muscat of Alexandria) grapes, accumulates high concentrations of anthocyanin in the berry skin. Hence, the expression of uridine 50 -diphosphate (UDP)-glucose:flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase (UFGT), the key enzyme of the anthocyanin pathway, was examined in the berry skin of Kadainou R-1. As information on gene sequences of V. ficifolia var. ganebu and other wild grape species was unavailable, we performed GeneChip hybridization using biotin-labeled genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to investigate how the genomic sequences of V. vinifera varieties and that of V. ficifolia var. ganebu differ. The study showed a lower correlation coefficient between V. vinifera cultivars and V. ficifolia var. ganebu than that among V. vinifera cultivars. The sequences of the UFGT gene derived from both parents of the red and white cultivars were sequenced in Kadainou R1 and revealed that both were expressed irrespective of the fact that it was not expressed in the white grape (male parent).

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.234-242
• /
• 2019

We analyzed the anthocyanin accumulation, abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid (GA) contents and metabolic genes expression in berry skins under high temperature (High T) at veraison, in order to investigate the cause of bad coloration of 'Kyoho' grape due to High T in summer season. The coloration of 'Kyoho' grapes was stopped by High T for 10 days from veraison, and the fruit quality was not affected except skin color. Total anthocyanin of skins was decreased by High T treatment and malvidin and peonidin were decreased compared to control. In berry skins, ABA content did not decrease by High T treatment, but it was rather higher than that of control. GA content was increased about two times compared to the control after 10 days of High T treatment, which caused decreased ratio of ABA/GA. Analysis of expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes showed that the early biosynthetic genes were not affected by High T and the expression of UFGT was decreased by temperature treatment. ABA biosynthetic gene expressions were not affected by High T and the expression of GA20ox1 and GA2ox1/2, which are known to regulate the biosynthesis and inactivation of GA, were increased and decreased by High T, respectively. Therefore, the bad coloration of 'Kyoho' grapes under the High T at veraison was due to inhibition of anthocyanin biosynthesis of skin, and it was suggested that the anthocyanin biosynthesis was controlled by the ratio of ABA and GA rather than ABA content.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.240-248
• /
• 2016

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) on the red coloration and endogenous ABA contents of apple fruit skins. ABA and fluridone (an ABA synthetic inhibitor, FD) was sprayed on 'Hongro' apple fruit skins at 107 days after full bloom (DAFB). Visual coloration and hunter's color values were not affected by the ABA and FD treatments. Anthocyanin contents in fruit skins increased similarly to hunter $a^*$ values of fruit skins, but ABA and FD did not affect its accumulations. Liquid chromatography analysis revealed that endogenous ABA contents in control fruit increased at first and then decreased from 12 hours after the treatment. ABA treatment increased ABA contents in fruit skins from 2 hour after the treatment and it lasted until the end of the treatments. FD decreased ABA contents in fruit skins from 6 hours after the treatment. ABA treatment increased MdNCED2 (an ABA biosynthetic gene), MdACO1 (an ethylene biosynthetic gene), and MdCHS and MdDFR expressions. However, MdUFGT expressions were not affected by ABA treatment.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.273-280
• /
• 2012

Differences of gene expression between red flash peach cultivar and white flash peach cultivar were investigated by Nest-generation sequencing (NGS). EST from the red flash peach cultivar and white flash peach cultivar were selected for nucleotide sequence determination and homology searches. The levels of transcripts coding for proteins involved in pathogenesis related proteins, temperature stress, ethylene signal pathway were significantly higher in white flash peach cultivar than in red flash peach cultivar. On the other hand, the up-regulation of proteins involved in anthocyanin and flavonol biosynthesis and protein degradation and sorbitol metabolism were observed in red flash peach cultivar. Chalcone synthase was preferentially expressed in the red flesh peach cultivar, agreeing with the accumulation of anthocyanin and expression of other previously identified genes for anthocyanin biosynthesis. Anthocyanin pathway related genes CHS, F3H, DFR, LDOX, UFGT differentially expressed between red flash peach cultivar and white flash peach cultivar. These results suggest that red flash peach cultivar and white flash peach cultivar have different anthocyanin biosynthesis regulatory mechanisms.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.234-240
• /
• 2008

Anthocyanin synthesis in strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa cv Maehyang) begins approximately 26 days postflowering and continued throughout fruit ripening. A set of cDNA clones encoding the anthocyanin biosynthetic enzymes were isolated from strawberry. A pair of primers were designed for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) through the comparison of the nucleotide sequences of homologous genes from diverse plants. Reverse transcriptase-PCRs were performed using cDNA synthesized from ripe fruit total RNA and the primers corresponding to each gene. Eight genes of the anthocyanin pathway were cloned and confirmed by sequencing to code for phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), 4-cummarate CoA ligase (4CL), chalcone synthase (CHS), chalcone isomerase (CHI), flavanone-3-hydroxylase (F3H), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR), anthocyanidine synthase (ANS), UDP-glucose:flavonoid-3-O-glucosyl-transferase (UFGT). Northern analyses showed that the corresponding genes were differentially expressed during the fruit development process. All genes except PAL were predominantly expressed in fruit. Expression of PAL, DFR and ANS was detected 10 days postflowering at the early stage of fruit development, declined for a while and sharply increased 22 days postflowering then showed a peak 34 days postflowering. The other genes, however, were not expressed up to 22 or 30 days postflowering when the initial fruit ripening events occur at the time of initiation of anthocyanin accumulation. The onset of anthocyanin synthesis in ripening strawberry coincides with a coordinated induction of the anthocyanin pathway genes, suggesting the involvement of regulatory genes. We propose that at least two different regulatory mechanisms playa role in the biosynthesis of anthocyanin during color development of strawberry.