| Budget Amount *help |
¥6,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥6,000,000)
Fiscal Year 1987: ¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000)
Fiscal Year 1986: ¥5,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,000,000)
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| Research Abstract |
Beautiful flower colors mainly consist of anthocyanins, which are unstable in water but stable in petals. Some stabilization mechanisms must be operating in vivo. We have studied on the stabilization mechanisms and mechanism of formation of blue color in petals, especially the metalloanthocyanins.
(1) Structure of commelinin, a blue pigment in Commelina communis.
We have determined the moleculare composition of commelinin as 6/ molecules each of malonylawobanin and flavocommelin and 2 atoms of magnesium; molecular weight being ca 10,000. Furthermore, arrangement of these components in the molecules was suggested as follows: two molecules of malonylawobanin are stacked by a hydrophobic interaction, three of them are further chelated with magnesium ions. Each of the malonylawobanins is also stacked with each of flavocomelin by a hydrophobic interactions, so that the high molecular complex is formed.
(2) Structure and stability of highly acylated anthocyanins
Structure of heavenly blue anthoycanin, zebrinin, and three diacylated and five monoacylated anthocyanins from red cabbage, were determined. Among these, the anthocyanins having two or more aromatic acyl moieties are stable in neutral aqueous solutions, but decolorizatoin occurs easily in the case of anthocyanins having less than two aromatic acids. These phenomona are explained by stabilization with the sandwich-type stacking.
(3) Structure of protocyanin, a blue pigment of cornflower
This pigment may consist of 6 molecules each of succinylcyanin and a malonylflavone, and one atom each of iron and magnesium.
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