A rationale for the shift in colour towards blue in transgenic carnation flowers expressing the flavonoid 3′,5′-hydroxylase gene

Recently marketed genetically modified violet carnations cv. Moondust and Moonshadow (Dianthus caryophyllus) produce a delphinidin type anthocyanin that native carnations cannot produce and this was achieved by heterologous flavonoid 3',5-hydroxylase gene expression. Since wild type carnations lack a flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylase gene, they cannot produce delphinidin, and instead accumulate pelargonidin or cyanidin type anthocyanins, such as pelargonidin or cyanidin 3,5-diglucoside-6"-O-4,6'''-O-1-cyclic-malyl diester. On the other hand, the anthocyanins in the transgenic flowers were revealed to be delphinidin 3,5-diglucoside-6"-O-4, 6'''-O-1-cyclic-malyl diester (main pigment), delphinidin 3,5-diglucoside-6"-malyl ester, and delphinidin 3,5-diglucoside-6",6'''-dimalyl ester. These are delphinidin derivatives analogous to the natural carnation anthocyanins. This observation indicates that carnation anthocyanin biosynthetic enzymes are versatile enough to modify delphinidin. Additionally, the petals contained flavonol and flavone glycosides. Three of them were identified by spectroscopic methods to be kaempferol 3-(6'''-rhamnosyl-2'''-glucosyl-glucoside), kaempferol 3-(6'''-rhamnosyl-2'''-(6-malyl-glucosyl)-glucoside), and apigenin 6-C-glucosyl-7-O-glucoside-6'''-malyl ester. Among these flavonoids, the apigenin derivative exhibited the strongest co-pigment effect. When two equivalents of the apigenin derivative were added to I mM of the main pigment (delphinidin 3,5-diglucoside-6"-O-4,6'''-O-1-cyclic-malyl diester) dissolved in pH 5.0 buffer solution, the lambda(max) shifted to a wavelength 28 nm longer. The vacuolar pH of the Moonshadow flower was estimated to be around 5.5 by measuring the pH of petal. We conclude that the following reasons account for the bluish hue of the transgenic carnation flowers: (1) accumulation of the delphinidin type anthocyanins as a result of flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylase gene expression, (2) the presence of the flavone derivative strong co-pigment, and (3) an estimated relatively high vacuolar pH of 5.5. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.