1 research outputs found
Identification of Two Anthocyanidin Reductase Genes and Three Red-Brown Soybean Accessions with Reduced <i>Anthocyanidin Reductase 1</i> mRNA, Activity, and Seed Coat Proanthocyanidin Amounts
Anthocyanidin reductase
(ANR; EC 1.3.1.77) catalyzes a key step
in the biosynthesis of proanthocyanidins (PAs; also known as condensed
tannins), flavonoid metabolites responsible for the brown pigmentation
of seeds. Here, two ANR genes (<i>ANR1</i> and <i>ANR2</i>) from the seed coat of brown soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) have been isolated and their enzymatic function confirmed
for the reduction of cyanidin to (β)-epicatechin in vitro.
Biochemical and genetic comparisons of soybean lines differing in
seed coat color revealed three red-brown lines to exhibit major reductions
in the amounts of soluble PAs in the seed coat compared to brown soybean
lines. Two spontaneous mutants with red-brown grain color had reduced <i>ANR1</i> gene expression in the seed coat, and an EMS-mutagenized
red-brown mutant had nonsynonymous substitutions that resulted in
slightly reduced <i>ANR1</i> activity in vitro. These results
suggest that defects in the <i>ANR1</i> gene can be associated
with red-brown soybean grain color. These results suggest that suppressing <i>ANR1</i> gene expression or activity may be a rational approach
toward engineering seed coat color to enable the visual identification
of genetically modified soybean grains