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Research update

Does carbon starvation limit anthocyanin accumulation in fruit?

21 Jan 2020

Red, purple or blue anthocyanin-rich fruit are recognised for their health-promoting properties and prized by consumers. In kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) several anthocyanin-rich cultivars, such as red kiwifruit, have been developed. Achieving uniform fruit flesh pigmentation in red-fleshed kiwifruit genotypes can be challenging but variability in anthocyanin content can reduce consumer appeal and have an adverse economic impact. 

In this study, scientists at Plant & Food Research and colleagues at the Max Planck Institute, looked at whether carbohydrate supply could be responsible for colour variation between fruits and analysed the mechanism underlying carbon starvation response in red-fleshed kiwifruit. 

The study found that fruit carbon starvation limits fruit anthocyanin accumulation. In the carbon-starved fruits both carbohydrate and anthocyanin biosynthetic pathways were strongly down-regulated. This suggests that under carbon starvation, anthocyanin depletion is the result of an active repression of its biosynthetic pathway and sugar signalling to save resources. 

Funding for this study was provided by the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's Strategic Science Investment Fund and by the Max Planck Society.

See cover image

Journal Reference:Nardozza S, Boldingh HL, Kashuba P, Feil R, Jones D, Thrimawithana A.H, Ireland HS, Philippe M, Wohlers MW, McGhie T, et al. 2019. Carbon starvation reduces carbohydrate and anthocyanin accumulation in red-fleshed fruit via trehalose 6-phosphate and MYB27. Plant, Cell & Environment https://doi.org/10.1111/PCE.13699

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