Isolation of 5-O-glucosyltransferase (5GT)-like genes from fragrant cyclamen and analysis with putative 5gt mutant

Kurihara, Chie*; Kitamura, Satoshi; Ishizaka, Hiroshi*; Nakayama, Masayoshi*; Akita, Yusuke*

In order to identify 5-O-glucosyltransferase (5GT) genes that are involved in flower coloration in Cyclamen spp., homologs of 5GT were exploited from genomes of fragrant cyclamen species (Cyclamen purpurascens). The Cpur5GT1 gene was shown to be specifically expressed in floral organ, one of the most pigmented organs. This suggests that Cpur5GT1is involved in flower coloration in cyclamen. We further isolated Cpur5GT2. This gene was demonstrated to code functional 5GT protein that can transfer glucosylation moiety to anthocyanin molecule in vitro.