Additional betalain accumulation by genetic engineering leads to a novel flower color in lisianthus ().

Betalains, comprising violet betacyanins and yellow betaxanthins, are pigments found in plants belonging to the order Caryophyllales. In this study, we induced the accumulation of betalains in ornamental lisianthus () by genetic engineering. Three betalain biosynthetic genes encoding CYP76AD1, dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) 4,5-dioxygenase (DOD), and -DOPA 5--glucosyltransferase (5GT) were expressed under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) promoter in lisianthus, in which anthocyanin pigments are responsible for the pink flower color.