A new petunia flower colour generated by transformation of a mutant with a maize gene

• Published in: Nature (London) Vol. 330; no. 6149; p. 677
• Main Authors: Meyer, P, Heidmann, I, Forkmann, G, Saedler, H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 17.12.1987
• Subjects: COLOR; COLOUR; COULEUR; DNA, Recombinant; Flavonols; FLEUR; FLORES; FLOWERS; GENE; GENES; MUTANT; MUTANTES; MUTANTS; Oxidoreductases - genetics; PETUNIA; PETUNIA HYBRIDA; Pigmentation; Pigments, Biological - biosynthesis; Plants - genetics; Quercetin - analogs & derivatives; Quercetin - metabolism; Transformation, Genetic; ZEA MAYS; Zea mays - genetics
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/330677a0

Petunia hybrida is one of the classical subjects of investigation in plants in which the pathway of anthocyanin biosynthesis has been analysed genetically and biochemically. In petunia cyanidin- and delphinidin-derivatives, but no pelargonidin-derivatives are produced as pigments. This is due to the substrate specificity of the dihydroflavonol 4-reductase of petunia, which cannot reduce dihydrokaempferol. The petunia mutant RL01, which accumulates dihydrokaempferol, shows no flower pigmentation. RL01 served as a recipient for the transfer of the A1 gene of Zea mays encoding dihydroquercetin 4-reductase, which can reduce dihydrokaempferol and thereby provided the intermediate for pelargonidin biosynthesis. Transformation of RL01 with a vector p35A1, containing the A1-complementary DNA behind the 35S promotor leads to red flowers of the pelargonidin-type. Thus a new flower pigmentation pathway has been established in these plants.