Are betalain pigments the functional homologues of anthocyanins in plants?

Jain, Gagandeep; Gould, Kevin S.

doi:10.1016/j.envexpbot.2015.06.002

Cited by 100 publications

(92 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Given that betalains are stable through a wider pH range, they propose that betalains may be more effective pigments in the context of CAM and C4 species, owing to acidification of the vacuole, which may occur as a consequence of CAM and C4 physiology. Furthermore, Jain & Gould () highlight a correlation between betacyanin accumulation and V‐ATPase activity which is associated with the transport of sodium in halophyte species, suggesting that betalains may enhance salt sequestration. Although the evidence for both these hypotheses is weak, they are intriguing in the context of Caryophyllales, which represent one of the largest concentrations of CAM, C4 and halophyte species in the plant kingdom.…”

Section: The Origin Of Betalain Pigmentation In Caryophyllalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Betaxanthins are yellow with an absorbance spectrum that has a maximal wavelength centred at 480 nm, while betacyanins are violet, and have an absorbance spectrum with a maximal wavelength centred at 536 nm (Gandía‐Herrero & García‐Carmona, ). Betalains function in the attraction of animal pollinators and dispersers, in photoprotection, and confer tolerance to drought and salinity stress (Jain & Gould, ). Betalains possess high antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities (Escribano et al ., ; Cai et al ., ), are utilized as commercial food colourants and additives (Gandía‐Herrero et al ., ), are being explored for their use as pigments in solar panels (Oprea et al ., ), and exhibit preventative properties with respect to several types of cancer (Lu et al ., ; Khan et al ., ; Krajka‐Kuźniak et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The evolution of betalain biosynthesis in Caryophyllales

et al. 2019

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Summary Within the angiosperm order Caryophyllales, an unusual class of pigments known as betalains can replace the otherwise ubiquitous anthocyanins. In contrast to the phenylalanine‐derived anthocyanins, betalains are tyrosine‐derived pigments which contain the chromophore betalamic acid. The origin of betalain pigments within Caryophyllales and their mutual exclusion with anthocyanin pigments have been the subject of considerable research. In recent years, numerous discoveries, accelerated by ‐omic scale data, phylogenetics and synthetic biology, have shed light on the evolution of the betalain biosynthetic pathway in Caryophyllales. These advances include the elucidation of the biosynthetic steps in the betalain pathway, identification of transcriptional regulators of betalain synthesis, resolution of the phylogenetic history of key genes, and insight into a role for modulation of primary metabolism in betalain synthesis. Here we review how molecular genetics have advanced our understanding of the betalain biosynthetic pathway, and discuss the impact of phylogenetics in revealing its evolutionary history. In light of these insights, we explore our new understanding of the origin of betalains, the mutual exclusion of betalains and anthocyanins, and the homoplastic distribution of betalain pigmentation within Caryophyllales. We conclude with a speculative conceptual model for the stepwise emergence of betalain pigmentation.

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Section: The Origin Of Betalain Pigmentation In Caryophyllalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of betalain biosynthesis in Caryophyllales

et al. 2019

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“…Abiotic stresses often disrupt the balance between ROS production and clearance in cells, leading to increased ROS concentrations and oxidative damage to biofilms, proteins, DNA, and RNA, thereby inhibiting plant growth and development [47,48]. Therefore, scavenging ROS is essential for plants to resist abiotic stresses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of the Gh4CL gene family reveals a role of Gh4CL7 in drought tolerance

Sun

Xiong

Zhang

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Background The function of 4-coumarate-CoA ligases (4CL) under abiotic stresses have been studied in plants, however, limite is known about the upland cotton 4CL genes and their roles in response to drought stress. ResultsIn this study, we performed genome-wide identification of the 4CL genes in G. hirsutum and investigated the expression profiles of the identified genes in various cotton tissues and in response to stress conditions with an aim to identify 4CL gene(s) associated with drought tolerance. We identified 34 putative 4CL genes in G. hirsutum that were clustered into three classes. Genes of the same class usually share a similar gene structure and motif composition. Many cis -elements related to stress and phytohormone responses were found in the promoters of the Gh4CL genes. Of the 34 Gh4CL genes, 26 were induced by at least one abiotic stress and 10 were up-regulated under the PEG simulated drought stress conditions, including Gh4CL7 . Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) in cotton and overexpression (OE) in Arabidopsis thaliana were applied to investigate the biological function of Gh4CL7 in drought tolerance. The Gh4CL7 -silencing cotton plants showed more sensitive to drought stress, probably due to decreased relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll content and antioxidative enzyme activity, increased stomatal aperture, and the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ). Arabidopsis lines overexpressing Gh4CL7 , however, were more tolerant to drought treatment, which was associated with improved antioxidative enzyme activity, reduced accumulation of MDA and H 2 O 2 and up-regulated stress-related genes under the drought stress conditions. In addition, compared to their respective controls, the Gh4CL7 -silencing cotton plants and the Gh4CL7-overexpressing Arabidopsis lines had a lower and higher lignin content, respectively. Taken together, these results demonstrated that Gh4CL7 could positively respond to drought stress and therefore might be a candidate gene for improvement of drought tolerance in cotton.Conclusion We comprehensively identified 4CL family genes in upland cotton and provide valuable information on the evolutionary relationship. Gh4CL7 gene is involved in lignin biosynthesis and play a positively role in reponsing drought stress.

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“…Anthocyanins and betacyanins represent two categories of vegetal pigments that can both produce a similar array of red colours [21]. On the other hand, betacyanins belong to the larger category of betalains, which include also betaxanthins, which are yellow pigments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthocyanins, betacyanins and the systematics of Caryophyllids

Martos¹,

Balica²,

Ştefănescu³

2019

Contrib.Bot.

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This review presents basic information on the two different categories of red vegetal pigments: anthocyanins and betacyanins. To avoid possible confusion between them, we emphasize their biosynthesis, chemical structure, distribution within and among plants and economic aspects, as well as their important pharmacological activities. The betalain derivatives, betacyanins, are found only in one group of Angiosperms, the core Caryophyllales, while anthocyanins are widely distributed among Dicotyledons as well as Monocotyledons. There has been no report so far of anthocyanins and betacyanins existing together within the same plant. The chemical structure of betacyanins is different from that of anthocyanins and their synthesis is derived from amino acids. During evolution, the betalain lineages seem to have been abandoned in favour of the anthocyanin lineages.

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Are betalain pigments the functional homologues of anthocyanins in plants?

Cited by 100 publications

References 76 publications

The evolution of betalain biosynthesis in Caryophyllales

The evolution of betalain biosynthesis in Caryophyllales

Characterization of the Gh4CL gene family reveals a role of Gh4CL7 in drought tolerance

Anthocyanins, betacyanins and the systematics of Caryophyllids

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