Abstract
The genes C, C2, R, A, A2, Bz, Bz2 and Pr are required for the formation of purple anthocyanin in the aleurone tissue of maize, and the recessive gene(s) result in non-purple (red, bronze and colorless). Aleurone extracts of recessive a and certain double recessive combinations were analyzed by paper chromatography, absorption spectra in the ultraviolet (UV) and infrared, mass spectra, and other analytical techniques. Homozygous recessive a tissue accumulates the flavonol, quercetin, while the double combinations a c and a r lack it, suggesting that dominant genes C and R are required for its formation and act prior to A in the synthesis of flavonols, as in the gene action sequence for anthocyanin synthesis. Dominant C-I inhibits the formation of quercetin, whereas Bz, Bz2 and In do not affect its formation. These results suggest a close biogenetic relationship between quercetin and cyanidin-3-glucoside and also independently confirm the position of A in both sequences.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (397.9 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- LAUGHNAN J. R. The action of allelic forms of the gene A in maize. III. Studies on the occurrence of isoquercitrin in brown and purple plants and its lack of identity with the brown pigments. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1950 May;36(5):312–318. doi: 10.1073/pnas.36.5.312. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- REDDY G. M., COE E. H., Jr Inter-tissue complemention: a simple technique for direct analysis of gene-action sequence. Science. 1962 Oct 12;138(3537):149–150. doi: 10.1126/science.138.3537.149. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Reddy G M. Genetic Control of Leucoanthocyanidin Formation in Maize. Genetics. 1964 Sep;50(3):485–489. doi: 10.1093/genetics/50.3.485. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]