Light-induced morphological alteration in anthocyanin-accumulating vacuoles of maize cells

Abstract

Background: Plant pigmentation is affected by a variety of factors. Light, an important plant developmental signal, influences the accumulation of anthocyanins primarily through the activation of the transcription factors that regulate the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. In this study, we utilized maize Black Mexican Sweet (BMS) cells expressing the R and C1 regulators of anthocyanin biosynthesis from a light-insensitive promoter as a means to investigate the existence of additional levels of control of pigmentation by light.

Investigation of Anthocyanin Localization in Various Parts ofImpatiens BalsaminaL.

“…In the cross-section taken from the pedicel, it was determined that anthocyanin was present in the petiole and not in the epidermis, but in the pith anthocyanin was accumulated mostly in the vacuoles of parenchymatous cells (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20) than in the petiole (Fig. 4).…”

“…The anthocyanins, generally found in the vacuoles of epidermal cells, come in different color depending on the pH of vacuole sap (13,35,43). As pigments of fl owers and fruits, they attract insects for pollination and protect against UV-B irradiation (15,19,23,29).…”

Grape Berry Vacuole: A Complex and Heterogeneous Membrane System Specialized in the Accumulation of Solutes

“…While the biosynthesis and regulation of anthocyanins has been extensively described, little is known concerning their sequestration in the vacuole and to what extent their color is affected by storage (Irani and Grotewold 2005). Recently, and due to the sequencing of the grapevine genome (Jaillon et al 2007), two grapevine proteins belonging to the multidrug and toxic extrusion (MATE) family, anthoMATE1 (AM1) and anthoMATE3 (AM3), have been implicated in the mediated transport of specifically acylated anthocyanin (Gomez et al 2009).…”

“…Interestingly, light induces an alteration of anthocyanin distribution within vacuolar compartments (Irani and Grotewold 2005). Moreover, the temperature influences anthocyanin accumulation in grape berries, with higher temperatures generally decreasing total anthocyanin levels (Boss and Davies 2009).…”

“…Anthocyanoplasts start as vesicles in the cytosol and appear membrane-bound (Pecket andSmall 1980, Nozzolillo andIshikura 1988). Once in the vacuole, many factors influence the in vivo pigmentation provided by anthocyanins (Irani and Grotewold 2005). As anthocyanin synthesis and accumulation proceed, the anthocyanin content of the outer hypodermal layer(s) approaches saturation.…”