Abstract
Anthocyanins are water-soluble polyphenolic compounds with a high nutraceutical value. Despite the fact that cultivated tomato varieties do not accumulate anthocyanins in the fruit, the biosynthetic pathway can be activated in the vegetative organs by several environmental stimuli. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms regulating anthocyanin synthesis in tomato. Here, we carried out a molecular and functional characterization of two genes, SlAN2 and SlANT1, encoding two R2R3-MYB transcription factors. We show that both can induce ectopic anthocyanin synthesis in transgenic tomato lines, including the fruit. However, only SlAN2 acts as a positive regulator of anthocyanin synthesis in vegetative tissues under high light or low temperature conditions.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Anthocyanins / metabolism*
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Cold Temperature
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Gene Expression Regulation, Plant*
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Genotype
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Light
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Phenotype
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Phylogeny
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Plant Proteins / genetics
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Plant Proteins / metabolism*
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Plants, Genetically Modified / genetics
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Plants, Genetically Modified / growth & development
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Plants, Genetically Modified / metabolism*
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Promoter Regions, Genetic / genetics
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RNA, Messenger / genetics
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Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
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Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
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Solanum lycopersicum / genetics
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Solanum lycopersicum / growth & development
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Solanum lycopersicum / metabolism*
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Transcription Factors / genetics
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Transcription Factors / metabolism*
Substances
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Anthocyanins
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Plant Proteins
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RNA, Messenger
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Transcription Factors
Grants and funding
Work supported by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture (Alisal and Nutrisol projects) and by the European Commission (Traditom project, contract n. 634561). The work benefited from the networking activities of COST action FA1106 (Quality Fruit).