[Advances in plant anthocyanin transport mechanism]

Anthocyanin biosynthesis is one of the thoroughly studied enzymatic pathways in biology, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms of its final stage: the transport of the anthocyanins into the vacuole. A clear picture of the dynamic trafficking of flavonoids is only now beginning to emerge. So far four different models have been proposed to explain the transport of anthocyanins from biosynthetic sites to the central vacuole, and four types of transporters have been found associated with the transport of anthocyanins: glutathione S-transferase, multidrug resistance-associated protein, multidrug and toxic compound extrusion, bilitranslocase-homologue. The functions of these proteins and related genes have also been studied. Although different models have been proposed, cellular and subcellular information is still lacking for reconciliation of different lines of evidence in various anthocyanin sequestration studies. According to the information available, through sequence analysis, gene expression analysis, subcellular positioning and complementation experiments, the function and location of these transporters can be explored, and the anthocyanin transport mechanism can be better understood.