The genetics of colour in plants

Glavni žlahtniteljski ciliji pri rastlinah so najpogosteje odpornost ali tolerantnost na bolezni in škodljivce, večja količina pridelka in boljša kakovost. Ker ima potrošnik, pri rastlinah pomembnih za človeško prehrano, raje že znane barve, sem se v tej diplomski nalogi osredotočila na novejša znanja o barvah pri okrasnih rastlinah. Zanimive barve cvetov pri okrasnih rastlinah pri potrošniku vzbujajo veliko zanimanja in predstavljajo velik pomen pri pridobivanju novih sort okrasnih rastlin. Modelni organizem za proučevanje barve cvetov je petunija. S pomočjo petunij so znanstveniki opredelili veliko število genov, ki vplivajo na barvo cvetov, vključno s tistimi, ki kodirajo biosintezo encimov, regulatorjev njihovega izražanja in funkcije vakuole. Za vidne barve listov in cvetov pri rastlinah so odgovorni različni metaboliti kot so klorofil, antociani, flavonoli in karotenoidi. Danes nam nove tehnike preurejanja genov prinašajo nove možnosti za proučevanje delovanja genov in ustvarjanje novih barv. Za najbolje prodajano rezano cvetje na svetu so že na voljo glavna genetska zaporedja in protokoli transformacije in vitro. Vsekakor pa raziskovalci še vedno veliko delajo na področju barv. V diplomskem delu se bom osredotočila na predstavitev ključnih barv, dejavnikov, ki vplivajo na barve, njihovih genov pri nekaterih vrstah okrasnih rastlin in možnosti njihove manipulacije.The main breeding objectives for plants are most often resistance or tolerance to diseases and pests, increased yield and improved quality. As consumers prefer familiar colours in plants important for human consumption, I have focused in this thesis on more recent knowledge on colours in ornamental plants. Interesting flower colours in ornamental plants are of great interest to the consumer and are of great importance in the acquisition of new ornamental plant species. The model organism for the study of flower colour is the petunia. Using petunia, scientists have identified a large number of genes that influence flower colour, including those encoding biosynthetic enzymes, regulators of their expression and vacuole function. Various metabolites such as chlorophyll, anthocyanins, flavonols and carotenoids are responsible for the visible colours of leaves and flowers in plants. Today, new gene-editing techniques provide us with new opportunities to study how genes work and to create new colours. For the world\u27s best-selling cut flowers, the main genetic sequences and in vitro transformation protocols are already available. However, there is still much work to be done by researchers in the field of colour. In my thesis I will focus on the presentation of key colours, the factors influencing colours, their genes in some varieties of ornamental plants and the possibilities of their manipulation