Ferulic acid 5-hydroxylase 1 is essential for expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis-associated genes and anthocyanin accumulation under photooxidative stress in Arabidopsis

Anthocyanins are important for preventing photoinhibition and photodamage. By comprehensive reverse genetic analysis of chloroplast-produced H2O2-responsive genes, we isolated here an anthocyanin-deficient mutant under photooxidative stress, which lacked ferulate 5-hydroxylase 1 (FAH1) involved in the phenylpropanoid pathway. Interestingly, the expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis-associated genes was also inhibited in this mutant. These findings suggest that FAH1 is essential for expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis-associated genes and anthocyanin accumulation under photooxidative stress in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, we found that estrogen-inducible silencing of thylakoid membrane-bound ascorbate peroxidase, which is a major H2O2-scavenging enzyme in chloroplasts, enhances the expression of FAH1 and anthocyanin biosynthesis-associated genes and accumulation of anthocyanin without any application of stress. Thus, it is likely that chloroplastic H2O2 activates FAH1 expression to induce anthocyanin accumulation for protecting cells from photooxidative stress.