Abstract
We are studying on modification of flower color in gentian by genetic engineering. We have already cloned and analyzed some of flavonoid synthesis-related genes from gentian. Here we showed gene expression analyses in 12 gentian cultivars of Iwate prefecture. Total RNAs were isolated from petal, leaf and stem of plants growing in the field. For petal analysis, the developmental stage was divided into four stages (from unpigmented bud to flowering). Northern blot analyses showed that flavonoid biosynthesis-related genes could classified into at least three groups according to their expression patterns. The analyses also showed that white- colored cultivar lacks the expression of ANS and pink-colored cultivar has longer F3',5'H compared with the other cultivars. We are now analyzing the expression in more details. On the basis of these results, we are planning to transform gentians to make different flower colors.
