Abstract
Two types of red pigment, anthocyanins and betacyanins, never occur together in the same plants. Although anthocyanins are widely distributed in higher plants, betacyanins are characteristic constituents of most species of Caryophyllales.
We have cloned two cDNAs of DOPA dioxygenase (DOD) which is known as a betalain biosynthetic enzyme from red cell cultures of Phytolacca americana (PaDOD1, PaDOD2). PaDOD1 and PaDOD2 showed approximately 80% homology to each other. Expression patterns of PaDOD1 and PaDOD2 in cell cultures and in various organs of Phytolacca plants were investigated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. In Phytolacca cell cultures and wild plants, the transcripts of PaDODs were found not only in betalain-containing cells but also in green or white cells. Moreover, we have isolated promoter regions of these PaDODs by inverse PCR. Further analyses of regulatory system and function of two PaDODs in Phytolacca plants are in progress.
