Jj. Sheahan et al., THE COLORLESS FLAVONOIDS OF ARABIDOPSIS-THALIANA (BRASSICACEAE) - I -A MODEL SYSTEM TO STUDY THE ORTHODIHYDROXY STRUCTURE, American journal of botany, 85(4), 1998, pp. 467-475
The orthodihydroxy structure may mediate flavonoid coloration or antio
xidant activity, making it of interest to floral or health food indust
ries, respectively. In the first of two companion papers, the authors
demonstrate a model system to study the orthodihydroxy structure in co
lorless flavonoids of Arabidopsis, with tools similar to those used up
on the colored flavonoids. The system includes a fluorescent staining
procedure to visualize colorless orthodihydroxy flavonoids at a subcel
lular level and to screen seedlings for rare genetic recombinants. The
system also includes mutant lines to study the synthesis of colorless
orthodihydroxy flavonoids, their potential role as antioxidants. and
their potential risk as oxidative mutagens.