Scientists have made an important advance in understanding the genetic
processes that give flowers, leaves and plants their bright colours. The
knowledge could lead to a range of benefits, including better understanding
of the cancer-fighting properties of plant pigments and new, natural food
colourings.
The research is highlighted in the new issue of Business from the
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

The scientists, at the John Innes Centre and Institute of Food
Research in Norwich, have pinpointed a key group of enzymes involved in the
production of plant pigments. The pigments, called anthocyanins, are what
give some plants the vivid colours that they use to attract insects and
foraging animals. They also give plants protection against environmental
stresses and disease. Hundreds of different anthocyanins exist in nature,
all with slightly different chemical compositions. The international
research team, supported by BBSRC, identified the genes responsible for the
enzymes which chemically modify anthocyanins to alter their properties.

Prof Cathie Martin at the John Innes Centre who co-led the project
explains: ?Using a new strategy, we conducted biochemical studies on the
brassica plant Arabidopsis. We found that a small number of genes
responsible for the enzymes that chemically modify anthocyanins were
?switched on? when the plants were making anthocyanins in response to
stress.

?When we transferred these genes to a tobacco plant, the colour of the
tobacco flowers changed slightly, confirming that these genes, and the
enzymes that they produce, were indeed responsible for modifying
anthocyanins.

?What?s more, these anthocyanins that had been modified by the enzymes
were more stable than those that hadn?t. This is significant because
stabilised anthocyanins could be used as natural food colourants to replace
many artificial colours used in various foods. This improved understanding
of the genetics of anthocyanins also provides a better platform for studying
their antioxidant properties, important in the fight against cancer,
cardiovascular disease and age-related degeneration.?

About BBSRC

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is
the UK funding agency for research in the life sciences. Sponsored by
Government, BBSRC annually invests around ?380 million in a wide range of
research that makes a significant contribution to the quality of life for UK
citizens and supports a number of important industrial stakeholders
including the agriculture, food, chemical, healthcare and pharmaceutical
sectors. [www.bbsrc.ac.uk]

About the John Innes Centre

The John Innes Centre (JIC), Norwich, UK is an independent,
world-leading research centre in plant and microbial sciences with over 800
staff. JIC carries out high quality fundamental, strategic and applied
research to understand how plants and microbes work at the molecular,
cellular and genetic levels. The JIC also trains scientists and students,
collaborates with many other research laboratories and communicates its
science to end-users and the general public. The JIC is grant-aided by the
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
[www.jic.ac.uk]

About the Institute of Food Research

The mission of the Institute of Food Research (IFR) is to undertake
international quality scientific research relevant to food and human health
and to work in partnership with others to provide underpinning science for
consumers, policy makers, the food industry and academia. It is a company
limited by guarantee, with charitable status, grant aided by the
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
[www.ifr.ac.uk]