Abstract
Perilla frutescens var. crispa is an interesting model to study the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis. Two chemo-varietal forms of Perilla are known, red and green cultivars, which differ in the accumulation of anthocyanins. Only the red cultivar expresses all genes required for the biosynthesis of anthocyanin pigments. Since anthocyanin biosynthesis is highly controlled at the transcriptional level, it is assumed that the change in colour in the two Perilla cultivars is due to the mutation or differential expression of regulatory genes.
A differential diplay reverse transcriptase-mediated (DDRT) PCR-based strategy was employed to identify myb-related genes involved in the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Perilla. Using this approach we isolated MYBC05, a putative MYB transcription factor which is co-ordinately regulated with the structural genes in a red form-specific manner. The functional analysis of MYBC05 is in progress, and the results in this regard will be presented.
