Abstract

Fruit coloring is a major source of anthocyanin and carotenoid in mango. The anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) is a key enzyme in the anthocyanin biosynthesis. The ANS gene was cloned from mango peel by homologous cloning method. This manuscript reported characterization of ANS from mango peel that comprised 1,262 bp full-length cDNA with open reading frame (ORF) of 1,056 bp and encoding a protein of 351 amino acids. The theoretical molecular weight of the deduced amino sequence of ANS was 39.8 kDa. It was found that the gene encoding for the protein had close relationship with mountain grape (Vitis vinifera), cocoa (Theobroma cacao), mulberry (Morus alba), litchi (Litchi chinensis), and other fruit trees through phylogenetic analysis. Expression of ANS was maximum in the green rather than the yellow and red fruit peel. Expression was down-regulated in mature fruit, there was no response to fruit coloration which was affected by anthocyanin.

Key words: Cloning, expression, anthocyanidin synthase (ANS), mango.