Two MYB Switches Found Steering Floral Scent in Primula forbesii
A genome-wide study of Primula forbesii identified 109 R2R3-MYB genes and pinpointed PfMYB31 and PfMYB88 as positive regulators of distinct floral scent pathways. Researchers have mapped the full complement of R2R3-MYB transcription factor genes in the fragrant flowering plant Primula forbesii and identified two members of the family, PfMYB31 and PfMYB88, as positive regulators of floral scent biosynthesis The study, published in BMC Plant Biology, combined a genome-wide survey of the gene family with transcriptomic screening and functional validation, and it reports that silencing either gene in the plant reduced a distinct class of scent compounds.The survey identified a total of 109 R2R3-MYB genes in the P forbesii genome, distributed unevenly across nine chromosomes To organize the family, the authors used two complementary phylogenetic analyses: one tree built from a set containing…