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- Title
From landing lights to mimicry: the molecular regulation of flower colouration and mechanisms for pigmentation patterning.
- Authors
Davies, Kevin M.; Albert, Nick W.; Schwinn, Kathy E.
- Abstract
Flower colour is a key component for plant signaling to pollinators and a staggering variety of colour variations are found in nature. Patterning of flower colour, such as pigment spots or stripes, is common and is important in promoting pollination success. Developmentally programmed pigmentation patterns are of interest with respect to the evolution of specialised plant -- pollinator associations and as models for dissecting regulatory signaling in plants. This article reviews the occurrence and function of flower colour patterns, as well as the molecular genetics of anthocyanin pigmentation regulation. The transcription factors controlling anthocyanin biosynthesis have been characterised for many species and an 'MBW' regulatory complex of R2R3MYB, bHLH and WD-Repeat proteins is of central importance. In particular, R2R3MYBs are key determinants of pigmentation intensity and patterning in plants. Progress is now being made on how environmental or developmental signal pathways may in turn control the production of the MBW components. Furthermore, additional regulatory proteins that interact with the MBW activation complex are being identified, including a range of proteins that repress complex formation or action, either directly or indirectly. This review discusses some of the recent data on the regulatory factors and presents models of how patterns may be determined. The staggering variety of flower colours and flower colour patterns found in nature has arisen as a mechanism for plants to communicate with potential pollinators. This article reviews the occurrence, function and control of flower colour patterns, and presents models on how patterns form. Such patterns provide elegant examples of spatial regulation of gene expression in plants.
- Subjects
BIOSYNTHESIS; BETALAINS; CAROTENOIDS; FLOWERS; COLORS; TRANSCRIPTION factors
- Publication
Functional Plant Biology, 2012, Vol 39, Issue 8, p619
- ISSN
1445-4408
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1071/FP12195