Abstract Detail

Phytochemical Section

Berardi, Andrea [1], Smith, Stacey [2].

Correlated evolution of flavonoid production and composition in the Iochrominae.

Correlations among traits have important implications for natural and artificial selection as favored changes in one trait may result in additional changes in other traits. The flavonoid pigment pathway is an ideal biochemical network to examine the influence of correlated expression within and among tissues due to its grid-like biochemical gene network. The flavonoid pathway produces several classes of plant pigments, including the visible anthocyanins and the invisible flavonols and flavones. Members of each flavonoid class are mono-, di-, or tri-hydroxylated through a set of shared enzymes. The different hydroxylation patterns produce an array of colorful and multipurpose pigments. Using comparative metabolomic data, we tested whether species that produce particular floral color morphs with a given ratio of mono-, di- or tri-hydroxylated anthocyanins produce a comparable ratio of hydroxylated flavonols in floral and leaf tissue. We predicted that shifts in flavonoid production in reproductive tissues across species would lead to correlated changes in flavonoid composition in vegetative tissue through change in pathway expression. We used the colorful Iochrominae (Solanaceae) to provide natural variation in which to test for pathway-based correlations. We found evidence for correlated flavonoid production among leaves and flowers, as well as potentially pleiotropic flavonoid production in purple flowering species.

1 - University of Colorado-Boulder, Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, C127 Ramaley Hall, Campus Box 334, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
2 - University of Colorado-Boulder, Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, C127 Ramaley, Campus Box 334, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA

Keywords:
anthocyanins
flavonoids
solanaceae
Pigments
pleiotropy.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 30
Location: Salon 13/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Wednesday, July 29th, 2015
Time: 10:15 AM
Number: 30009
Abstract ID:239
Candidate for Awards:None