The flavonoid pigment system is governed by a number of genes that have been described in terms of their regulation in the synthesis of various classes of flavonoid compounds. Isolation and characterization of compounds accumulated in various tissues is needed to know about the factors controlling their synthesis. The C locus is one of the loci in the biosynthetic pathway for anthocyanin biosynthesis in maize (Reddy & Coe, Science 158:115, 1962) with several allelic forms, including C-I, the dominant inhibitor, which suppresses anthocyanin formation. The present report deals with the study of the chemical nature of accumulated substance(s) of C-I with chromatographic, spectrophotometric and chemical tests. C-I aleurone tissue showed the presence of more than one compound. One of the compounds was isolated by preparative TLC (ethyl acetate and methanol, 2:1) and characterized as caffeic acid by co-paper chromatography, UV, IR, Mass and 'H' NMR. Average Rf values and Abs. Max. in UV are given below.
Study of the gene-product relationship in anthocyanin biosynthesis has been possible with the isolation and characterization of accumulated intermediates in single and double recessive mutant aleurone tissues. The double recessive of bz pr aleurone showed the presence of apigenin and was characterized by chromatography, UV, IR, Mass and 'H' NMR spectral studies. Average Rf and Abs. max. values are given below.
K. V. Rao, P Suprasanna and G. M. Reddy
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