Identification and Functional Analysis of a Flavonol Synthase Gene from Grape Hyacinth

Molecules

Lingjuan Du¹  Hongli Liu¹  Boxiao Zhang¹  Han Zhang¹  Beibei Su²  Jiaxin Gong²  Yali Liu² 

[1] College of Landscape Architecture and Arts, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China;

关键词: copigmentation;    flavonol;    flower color;    FLS;    grape hyacinth;   

DOI  :  10.3390/molecules24081579

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Flavonols are important copigments that affect flower petal coloration. Flavonol synthase (FLS) catalyzes the conversion of dihydroflavonols to flavonols. In this study, we identified a FLS gene, MaFLS, expressed in petals of the ornamental monocot Muscari aucheri (grape hyacinth) and analyzed its spatial and temporal expression patterns. qRT-PCR analysis showed that MaFLS was predominantly expressed in the early stages of flower development. We next analyzed the in planta functions of MaFLS. Heterologous expression of MaFLS in Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) resulted in a reduction in pigmentation in the petals, substantially inhibiting the expression of endogenous tobacco genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis (i.e., NtDFR, NtANS, and NtAN2) and upregulating the expression of NtFLS. The total anthocyanin content in the petals of the transformed tobacco plants was dramatically reduced, whereas the total flavonol content was increased. Our study suggests that MaFLS plays a key role in flavonol biosynthesis and flower coloration in grape hyacinth. Moreover, MaFLS may represent a new potential gene for molecular breeding of flower color modification and provide a basis for analyzing the effects of copigmentation on flower coloration in grape hyacinth.

【 授权许可】

Unknown