Role of the metallo-reductase FADING and vacuolinos in anthocyanin degradation in flowers and fruits

Anthocyanins are vacuolar pigments that confer red-violet colors to plant tissues. Pigmentation patterns result from spatio-temporally regulated anthocyanin synthesis and degradation. Mutational inactivation of a conserved MYB-bHLH-WDrepeat-WRKY transcriptional complex (MBWW) causes degradation of anthocyanins and ‘fading’ of flower color via a pathway that involves FADING (FA) . Here we show that FA encodes a vacuolar membrane Fe-reductase-oxidase that promotes anthocyanin degradation. In wild type petals anthocyanins in the central vacuole (CV) are stable, because FA-GFP is upheld in small vacuoles (vacuolinos) and kept away from the CV, indicating that vacuolinos act as gatekeepers in protein trafficking. In cells lacking vacuolinos, including mbww- mutant petals, FA-GFP reaches the CV and triggers anthocyanin degradation. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of an FA-homolog in pepper fruits prevented the “fading” of anthocyanins during fruit maturation. These findings provide new insights to breed ornamental and food crops with increased anthocyanin-content and enhanced nutritional value of edible parts.