Abstract
Anthocyanin synthesis in the kernel and in the plant body requires the action of at least five structural genes—A1, A2, Bz1, Bz2, C2—that encode the biosynthetic enzymes of the pathway. Regulation of the coordinate expression of the structural genes occurs mainly at the level of transcriptional activation. The anthocyanin regulatory genes fall into two gene families, both of which encode proteins with homology to other eukaryotic transcription factors. (See Table 35.1 footnote.) Anthocyanin synthesis requires a member of the C1/P1 family and a member of the R/B family. This dual requirement does not simply reflect the interdependence of the regulatory genes for their own expression, because colorless kernels carrying recessive c1 still express R-S mRNA and colorless r kernels still express C1 mRNA. Rather, the requirement for regulatory genes from both families supports the idea that the C1/P1 proteins and R/B proteins interact with each other to effect transcriptional activation of the structural genes.
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© 1994 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.
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Cone, K. (1994). Cloned Anthocyanin Genes and Their Regulation. In: Freeling, M., Walbot, V. (eds) The Maize Handbook. Springer Lab Manuals. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2694-9_35
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2694-9_35
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