Anthocyanins functions in plant

Muriel Wheldale Onslow and the Rediscovery of Anthocyanin Function in Plants... 

Stintzing, RC. and Carle, R., Functional properties of anthocyanins and betalains in plants, food, and in human nutrition. Trends Food Sci. Technol, 15, 19, 2004. 

ALFENITO, M.R., SOUER, E GOODMAN, C.D., BUELL, R., MOL, J., KOES, R., WALBOT, V., Functional complementation of anthocyanin sequestration in the vacuole by widely divergent glutathione 5-transferases, Plant Cell, 1998,10,1135-1149. 

CONE, K.C., COCCIOLONE, S.M., BURR, F.A., BURR, B., Maize anthocyanin regulatory gene pi is a duplicate of cl that functions in the plant, Plant Cell, 1993, 5, 1795-1805. 

Secondary compounds produced by plants may have other significant survival roles, such as signals to attract insects, birds, or other animals to enhance pollination or seed dispersal. In addition to any potential functions, secondary compounds may concomitantly serve a physiologic function, such as protection against ultraviolet (UV) light or frost, or provide a function in nitrogen transport and storage. In several instances, compounds can serve multiple functions in the same plant. Anthocyanins or monoterpenes can be... 

Gould, K.S., McKelvie, J., and Markham, K.R., Do anthocyanins function as antioxidants in leaves Imaging of H2O2 in red and green leaves after mechanical injury. Plant Cell Environ., 25, 1261, 2002. 

One of the best-established functions of anthocyanins is in the production of flower color and the provision of colors attractive to plant pollinators. Considerable effort has been made to give explanations for the color variations expressed by anthocyanins in plants. Various factors including concentration and nature of the anthocyanidin, anthocyanidin equilibrium forms, the extent of anthocyanin glycosidation and acylation, the nature and concentration of copigmentation, metal complexes, intra- and intermolecular association mechanisms, and influence of external factors like pH, salts, etc. have been found to have impact on anthocyanin colors. ... 

In summary, anthocyanin biosynthesis in maize requires a combination of R1 and Cl or B and PI, in addition to functional structural genes. The R1 and Cl combination is necessary for anthocyanin biosynthesis in the seeds, whereas the B and PI combination stipulates anthocyanin synthesis in the vegetative parts of the plant. A range of modifications to this general model, such as tissue-specific deposition or light-dependent deposition, exists as a consequence of the availability of numerous mutant alleles. 

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