MYB-Mediated Regulation of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 22; no. 6; p. 3103
• Main Authors: Yan, Huiling, Pei, Xiaona, Zhang, Heng, Li, Xiang, Zhang, Xinxin, Zhao, Minghui, Chiang, Vincent L, Sederoff, Ronald Ross, Zhao, Xiyang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI 18-03-2021; MDPI AG
• Subjects: anthocyanin; Anthocyanins - biosynthesis; environment; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Gene Regulatory Networks; MYB; negative regulation; Phylogeny; Plant Proteins - chemistry; Plant Proteins - metabolism; positive regulation; Review; transcription factor; Transcription Factors - chemistry; Transcription Factors - metabolism; negative regulation; transcription factor; environment; positive regulation; MYB; anthocyanin; MBW complexes
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms22063103

Anthocyanins are natural water-soluble pigments that are important in plants because they endow a variety of colors to vegetative tissues and reproductive plant organs, mainly ranging from red to purple and blue. The colors regulated by anthocyanins give plants different visual effects through different biosynthetic pathways that provide pigmentation for flowers, fruits and seeds to attract pollinators and seed dispersers. The biosynthesis of anthocyanins is genetically determined by structural and regulatory genes. MYB (
avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog) proteins are important transcriptional regulators that play important roles in the regulation of plant secondary metabolism. MYB transcription factors (TFs) occupy a dominant position in the regulatory network of anthocyanin biosynthesis. The TF conserved binding motifs can be combined with other TFs to regulate the enrichment and sedimentation of anthocyanins. In this study, the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthetic mechanisms of MYB-TFs are discussed. The role of the environment in the control of the anthocyanin biosynthesis network is summarized, the complex formation of anthocyanins and the mechanism of environment-induced anthocyanin synthesis are analyzed. Some prospects for MYB-TF to modulate the comprehensive regulation of anthocyanins are put forward, to provide a more relevant basis for further research in this field, and to guide the directed genetic modification of anthocyanins for the improvement of crops for food quality, nutrition and human health.