A new protein controlling the red color of strawberries has been identified. Free Technical Library News

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A new protein that controls the red color of strawberries identified

12.05.2023

A research team from the University of Córdoba has described a new transcription factor that regulates the production of anthocyanins when strawberries ripen, responsible for giving them a red hue.

Strawberry is a fruit that stands out for its color, aroma, flavor and texture. These aspects, known as organoleptic properties that determine their quality and the benefits of potential consumers, as well as insects that disperse seeds, contributing to the further growth of future plants, appear during the ripening of strawberries.

The Plant Biotechnology and Pharmacognosy Research Group at the University of Córdoba, led by Juan Muñoz Blanca, has been studying the genetic regulation of strawberry ripening for several years and has now gone one step further in their understanding of this key process by discovering a new protein involved in controlling the red color of the fruit. It is known as a transcription factor protein (FaMYB123) responsible for activating or inhibiting the expression of other genes.

This transcription factor is mainly responsible for the production of anthocyanins, the pigments that, in the case of strawberries, give them their characteristic red color.

To test this, they created a transgenic strawberry plant in which they downregulated the expression of the transcription factor FaMYB123, and they saw that the amount of anthocyanins was suppressed in these transgenic plants more than compared to normal fruit. That is, without the described transcription factor, strawberries do not show all their red color.

However, this is not done by a single protein, since transcription factors do not work in isolation, but rather in combination. In this case, the research team found that FaMYB123 is associated with another previously known factor (FabHLH3) also associated with strawberry pigmentation. The interaction between them contributes to an increase in the production of anthocyanins during their maturation.

In short, the study provides new knowledge about strawberry ripening control. Knowing which piece of the puzzle controls each part of the maturation process - in this case the color red - allows us to genetically manipulate it or use it as a tool in the maturation process. Breeding programs in which different varieties are combined to create new ones.

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