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An R2R3-MYB transcription factor as a negative regulator of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway in Ginkgo biloba

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Abstract

Flavonoids are secondary metabolites that contribute substantially to the quality of Ginkgo biloba. Plant flavonoid accumulation is controlled by transcriptional regulation of the genes that encode the biosynthetic enzymes, in which the R2R3-MYB transcription factor is a key factor. In this study, we describe the cloning and functional characterization of a R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene, GbMYBF2, isolated from G. biloba. GbMYBF2 encodes a protein belonging to a small subfamily of R2R3-MYB transcription factors. Comparative and bioinformatics analyses showed that GbMYBF2 is more closely related to the repressor R2R3-MYB subfamily involved in flavonoid biosynthesis. Tissue expression pattern analysis showed that GbMYBF2 was constitutively expressed in leaves, fruits, stems, and roots, wherein the level of transcription in the roots is significantly higher than that in the stems, leaves, and fruits. During G. biloba leaf growth, the transcription of GbMYBF2 is negatively correlated with the flavonoid content, suggesting that the GbMYBF2 gene is responsible for the repressed flavonoid biosynthesis. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants that overexpress GbMYBF2 exhibit an inhibition of flavonoid and anthocyanin biosynthesis compared with the untransformed Arabidopsis plants. In addition, the overexpression of GbMYBF2 in Arabidopsis clearly downregulates the expression of the structural genes that control the synthesis of flavonoids and anthocyanins. These findings suggest that GbMYBF2 may have a key role in repressing transcription in regulating the biosynthesis of flavonoids in G. biloba.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (31000904, 31370680, and 31270717), Key Project of Chinese Ministry of Education (212112), Open Fund of Hubei Key Laboratory of Economic Forest Germplasm Improvement and Resources Comprehensive Utilization (no. 20011BLKF240), and University-Industry Cooperation Fund of Hubei Educational Office (CXY2009B009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, 434025, Hubei, China

    Feng Xu, Yingjing Ning, Weiwei Zhang & Yongling Liao

  2. Economic Forest Germplasm Improvement and Comprehensive Utilization of Resources of Hubei Key Laboratory, Huanggang Normal University, Huanggang, 438000, Hubei, China

    Feng Xu, Linling Li, Hua Cheng & Shuiyuan Cheng

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  1. Feng Xu
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  2. Yingjing Ning
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  3. Weiwei Zhang
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Correspondence to Feng Xu.

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Xu, F., Ning, Y., Zhang, W. et al. An R2R3-MYB transcription factor as a negative regulator of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway in Ginkgo biloba . Funct Integr Genomics 14, 177–189 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10142-013-0352-1

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