betalains and Disease-Resistance

Betalains are tyrosine-derived red-violet and yellow plant pigments known for their antioxidant activity, health-promoting properties, and wide use as food colorants and dietary supplements. By coexpressing three genes of the recently elucidated betalain biosynthetic pathway, we demonstrate the heterologous production of these pigments in a variety of plants, including three major food crops: tomato, potato, and eggplant, and the economically important ornamental petunia. Combinatorial expression of betalain-related genes also allowed the engineering of tobacco plants and cell cultures to produce a palette of unique colors. Furthermore, betalain-producing tobacco plants exhibited significantly increased resistance toward gray mold (

Topics: Antioxidants; Betalains; Biosynthetic Pathways; Botrytis; Color; Crops, Agricultural; Disease Resistance; Nicotiana; Pigmentation; Plant Diseases; Plants, Genetically Modified; Solanum lycopersicum; Solanum melongena; Solanum tuberosum