RsTTG1, a WD40 Protein, Interacts with the bHLH Transcription Factor RsTT8 to Regulate Anthocyanin and Proanthocyanidin Biosynthesis in Raphanus sativus

Abstract

MBW complexes, consisting of MYB, basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH), and WD40 proteins, regulate multiple traits in plants, including anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin (PA) biosynthesis and the determination of epidermal cell fate. Here, a WD40 gene from Raphanus sativus, designated TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA 1 (RsTTG1), was cloned and functionally characterized. Heterologous expression of RsTTG1 in the Arabidopsis thaliana mutant ttg1-22 background restored accumulation of anthocyanin and PA in the mutant and rescued trichome development. In radish, RsTTG1 was abundantly expressed in all root and leaf tissues, independently of anthocyanin accumulation, while its MBW partners RsMYB1 and TRANSPARENT TESTA 8 (RsTT8) were expressed at higher levels in pigment-accumulating tissues. In yeast two-hybrid analysis, the full-length RsTTG1 protein interacted with RsTT8. Moreover, transient protoplast co-expression assays demonstrated that RsTTG1, which localized to both the cytoplasm and nucleus, moves from the cytoplasm to the nucleus in the presence of RsTT8. When co-expressed with RsMYB1 and RsTT8, RsTTG1 stably activated the promoters of the anthocyanin biosynthesis genes CHALCONE SYNTHASE (RsCHS) and DIHYDROFLAVONOL 4-REDUCTASE (RsDFR). Transient expression of RsTTG1 in tobacco leaves exhibited an increase in anthocyanin accumulation due to activation of the expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes when simultaneously expressed with RsMYB1 and RsTT8. These results indicate that RsTTG1 is a vital regulator of pigmentation and trichome development as a functional homolog of AtTTG1.