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Article|20 May 2020|OPEN
The R2R3-MYB transcription factor GhMYB1a regulates flavonol and anthocyanin accumulation in Gerbera hybrida
Chunmei Zhong1 , Yi Tang2 , Bin Pang2 , Xukun Li2 , Yuping Yang2 , Jing Deng1 , Chengyong Feng3 , Lingfei Li4 , Guiping Ren2 , Yaqin Wang2 , Jianzong Peng2 , Shulan Sun2 , Shan Liang2 , and Xiaojing Wang,2 ,
1College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture; Key Laboratory of Energy Plants Resource and Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, P.R. China, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
2Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
3Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Beijing Botanical Garden, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
4Key Laboratory of Southern Subtropical Plant Diversity, Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, Shenzhen & Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518004, China
*Corresponding author. E-mail: liangsh@scnu.edu.cn,wangxj@scnu.edu.cn

Horticulture Research 7,
Article number: 78 (2020)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41438-020-0296-2
Views: 1603

Received: 20 Aug 2019
Revised: 11 Mar 2020
Accepted: 23 Mar 2020
Published online: 20 May 2020

Abstract

Anthocyanins and flavonols have vital roles in flower coloration, plant development, and defense. Because anthocyanins and flavonols share the same subcellular localization and common biosynthetic substrates, these pathways may compete for substrates. However, the mechanism regulating this potential competition remains unclear. Here, we identified GhMYB1a, an R2R3-MYB transcription factor involved in the regulation of anthocyanin and flavonol accumulation in gerbera (Gerbera hybrida). GhMYB1a shares high sequence similarity with that of other characterized regulators of flavonol biosynthesis. In addition, GhMYB1a is also phylogenetically grouped with these proteins. The overexpression of GhMYB1a in gerbera and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) resulted in decreased anthocyanin accumulation and increased accumulation of flavonols by upregulating the structural genes involved in flavonol biosynthesis. We further found that GhMYB1a functions as a homodimer instead of interacting with basic helix-loop-helix cofactors. These results suggest that GhMYB1a is involved in regulating the anthocyanin and flavonol metabolic pathways through precise regulation of gene expression. The functional characterization of GhMYB1a provides insight into the biosynthesis and regulation of flavonols and anthocyanins.