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TY - JOUR AU - Meyer, Peter AU - Heidmann, Iris AU - Forkmann, Gert AU - Saedler, Heinz PY - 1987 DA - 1987/12/01 TI - A new petunia flower colour generated by transformation of a mutant with a maize gene JO - Nature SP - 677 EP - 678 VL - 330 IS - 6149 AB - Petunia hybrida is one of the classical subjects of investigation in plants in which the pathway of anthocyanin biosynthesis has been analysed genetically and biochemically. In petunia cyanidin- and delphinidin-derivatives, but no pelargonidin-derivatives are produced as pigments. This is due to the substrate specificity of the dihydroflavonol 4-reductase of petunia, which cannot reduce dihy-drokaempferol. The petunia mutant RL01, which accumulates dihydrokaempferol, shows no flower pigmentation. RL01 served as a recipient for the transfer of the A1 gene of Zea mays encoding dihydroquercetin 4-reductase, which can reduce dihydrokaempferol and thereby provided the intermediate for pelargonidin biosynthesis. Transformation of RL01 with a vector p35Al, containing the A1 -complementary DNA behind the 35S promotor leads to red flowers of the pelargonidin-type. Thus a new flower pigmentation pathway has been established in these plants. SN - 1476-4687 UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/330677a0 DO - 10.1038/330677a0 ID - Meyer1987 ER -