Investigating the role of the regulatory gene VvMYBA1 in flavour and aroma using transgenic grapevines

Anthocyanins are flavonoid compounds responsible for most of the red, purple and blue colours of leaves, fruit and flowers of many plant species. They are produced through the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway and in grapevine the VvMYBA1 and VvMYBA2 transcription factors are responsible for the transcriptional activation of genes encoding enzymes required for their synthesis. White grapevine cultivars contain inactive versions of the VvMYBA1 and VvMYBA2 genes and hence cannot produce anthocyanins in berries. While much is now known about anthocyanin biosynthesis in grapevine, there are still some genes involved in anthocyanin modification and transport which have not yet been identified. In several other plant species recent research has established a link between anthocyanin biosynthesis and the synthesis of volatile aroma compounds.