Artículos de revistas
Regulation of Pigment-Related Genes During Flower and Fruit Development of Bixa orellana
Autor
RENATA LOURDES BARBARA RIVERA MADRID
Institución
Resumen
Annatto (Bixa orellana) is the sole source of the
commercially important pigment bixin. The broad diversity
of annatto phenotypes and the wide variation in pigment
contents have restricted its use. Therefore, genetic improvement
focusing on this variation is important in order to
achieve optimal exploitation of annatto. To characterize and
understand some of the genetic basis governing carotenoid
production, two annatto cultivars with either pink or white
flowers were selected on the basis of their contrasting pigment
levels. Several complementary DNA (cDNA)-probes
corresponding to genes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis
(dxs, psy, pds, β-lcy,andε-lcy) were cloned and analyzed by
reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in
different tissues of these two annatto cultivars during flower
and fruit development. In general, expression of most selected
genes could be associated with pigment overaccumulation in
these cultivars. The pink cultivar exhibited higher carotenoid
contents and higher pigment-related gene expression, and the
two variants analyzed showed notable differences in gene
expression in the highest pigment producing tissues.