PgMYB1 Positively Regulates Anthocyanin Accumulation by Activating in Pomegranate.

The peel color of pomegranates is an important exterior quality that determines market value. Anthocyanins are biosynthesized in the cytosol and then transported to the vacuole for storage. However, the molecular mechanism that determines the color variation between red and white pomegranates remains unclear. In this study, we identified an R2R3-MYB protein (PgMYB1) that interacts with the promoter and regulates its transcriptional expression, thus promoting the accumulation of anthocyanins in pomegranate. The expression of and was positively correlated with the anthocyanin content in red and white pomegranates. Further investigation showed that the knockdown of in red pomegranate 'Taishanhong' (TSH), by the virus-induced gene-silencing system, inhibited anthocyanin accumulation. Together, our results indicate that PgMYB1 controls the transport of anthocyanin via and thus promotes anthocyanin accumulation in red pomegranates. Our results have a certain reference value for further clarifying the regulation of anthocyanin synthesis and transport in pomegranate fruits.