Host: The Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists
Pages 0046
Multiple copies of flavonoid biosynthetic genes with different patterns of expression of tissue or cells and induction following environmental stimuli were identified in Legume. We are trying to analyze regulatory networks controling flavonoid biosynthesis in Legume. Sequence homology searches in model legume Lotus japonicus genome were performed to gain the information about transcription regulators involved in flavonoid biosynthesis. We identified gene duplication in the transcription factors regulating proanthocyanidin biosynthesis. Three copies of a homologue of Arabidopsis TRANSPARENT TESTA2 (TT2), which is an MYB transcription factor that regulates proanthocyanidin biosynthesis, were present in the Lotus japonicus genome. The organ specificity and stress responsiveness differed among the three LjTT2s. Moreover, it was shown that three LjTT2s could function homologously to AtTT2 in transient expression experiments. Further analysis using yeast two-hybrid and transgenic plants to examine the protein interaction properties of LjTT2s and contribution to proanthocyanidin biosynthesis in vivo are in progress.
