Abstract
Most blue color in flowers is due to anthocyanin, and considerable proportion of blue coloration can be attributed to metal-complexed anthocyanins. Recently, we reported vacuolar localized iron-transporter in blue petal cells of Tulipa gesneriana. However the mechanism of metal ion transport into vacuoles and subsequent flower color development has yet to be fully explored. In Hydrangea macrophylla, Al3+ is involved in blue coloration and the anthocyanin is formed Al3+-complex in vacuoles. To identify the molecular mechanism of blue coloration in hydrangea flowers, we tried to isolate the related genes transporting that metal ion into vacuoles. In this study, we tried to isolate the genes related to transporting Al3+ into vacuoles in Hydrangea macrophylla. To isolate those genes, we used Al3+-sensitive yeasts introduced the Hydrangea macrophylla cDNA library. After several screening, Al3+ tolerant yeast strains were isolated. But no genes from Hydrangea macrophylla were included in those yeast stains. Now, we are trying other methods for isolating the Al3+ transporting related genes into vacuoles.
