Ethylene Pathway Found to Suppress Chrysanthemum Pigment
Researchers mapped a gene cascade that ethylene uses to reduce anthocyanin production in chrysanthemum flowers.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Botany
Researchers from Beijing Forestry University, the South China Botanical Garden, and the Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences published findings on April 7, 2026, in Horticulture Research identifying how ethylene suppresses anthocyanin pigment in chrysanthemums. The ethylene-triggered CmERF3-CmMYB4 cascade represses three late-stage pigment biosynthetic genes.
Why it matters
The work explains a molecular mechanism behind pigment loss in ornamental flowers, where color is a key commercial trait. Identifying the regulators upstream of pigment genes offers a clearer target for breeders and researchers studying flower coloration.
The study combined time-ordered gene co-expression networks built from transcriptomic data across five developmental stages with molecular validation in transgenic plants. HPLC measurements showed significantly lower total anthocyanin content in CmMYB4-overexpressing chrysanthemums, but the extraction does not specify results for other varieties.
The players
Horticulture Research
Horticulture Research is a peer-reviewed journal published by Oxford University Press that covers horticultural science and plant biology.
Beijing Forestry University
Beijing Forestry University is a public university in Beijing known for forestry, plant science, and ecology research.
South China Botanical Garden
The South China Botanical Garden is a research institution under the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Guangzhou focused on tropical and subtropical plant studies.
The details
Exogenous ethylene treatment induced CmERF3 expression and reduced anthocyanin accumulation. CmERF3 binds the CmMYB4 promoter to activate it, and CmMYB4 in turn binds the promoters of CmDFR, CmUFGT, and Cm3MaT to repress their transcription.
Timeline
April 7, 2026: Study published in Horticulture Research under DOI 10.1093/hr/uhag132.
The Big Picture
The study adds a specific ethylene-regulated transcriptional cascade to the body of research on anthocyanin control in ornamental plants. It builds on earlier work identifying CmMYB4 as a repressor of anthocyanin, now placing it within an upstream hierarchy led by CmERF3.
Findings on pigment regulation could inform future breeding of chrysanthemums with more consistent flower color. Practical applications would depend on follow-up studies that extend the work beyond the varieties tested.
The takeaway
Ethylene acts on flower color through a layered gene network rather than a single switch. Growers and researchers tracking pigment traits may find the CmERF3-CmMYB4 pathway a useful reference point.
Further reading
Explore more research on plant pigmentation in our Botany section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Floraldaily.
