Research progresses on rice leaf color mutants

Leaf senescence constitutes the final stage of leaf development and is critical for plants' fitness as nutrient relocation from leaves to reproducing seeds is achieved through this process. Leaf senescence involves a coordinated action at the cellular, tissue, organ, and organism levels under the control of a highly regulated genetic program. Major breakthroughs in the molecular understanding of leaf senescence were achieved through characterization of various senescence mutants and senescence-associated genes, which revealed the nature of regulatory factors and a highly complex molecular regulatory network underlying leaf senescence. The genetically identified regulatory factors include transcription regulators, receptors and signaling components for hormones and stress responses, and regulators of metabolism. Key issues still need to be elucidated, including cellular-level analysis of senescence-associated cell death, the mechanism of coordination among cellular-, organ-, and organism-level senescence, the integration mechanism of various senescence-affecting signals, and the nature and control of leaf age.

Anthocyanins represent the major red, purple, violet and blue pigments in many flowers and fruits. They attract pollinators and seed dispersers and defend plants against abiotic and biotic stresses. Anthocyanins are produced by a specific branch of the flavonoid pathway, which is differently regulated in monocot and dicot species. In the monocot maize, the anthocyanin biosynthesis genes are activated as a single unit by a ternary complex of MYB-bHLH-WD40 transcription factors (MBW complex). In the dicot Arabidopsis, anthocyanin biosynthesis genes can be divided in two subgroups: early biosynthesis genes (EBGs) are activated by co-activator independent R2R3-MYB transcription factors, whereas late biosynthesis genes (LBGs) require an MBW complex. In addition to this, a complex regulatory network of positive and negative feedback mechanisms controlling anthocyanin synthesis in Arabidopsis has been described. Recent studies have broadened our understanding of the regulation of anthocyanin synthesis in flowers and fruits, indicating that a regulatory system based on the cooperation of MYB, bHLH and WD40 proteins that control floral and fruit pigmentation is common to many dicot species. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.