XVI International Botanical Congess

Classical biochemical studies have long supported the possibility that the enzymes of flavonoid metabolism are organized as a membrane-associated macromolecular complex. However, little progress has been toward molecular characterization of this enzyme complex. We have used affinity chromatography, co-immunoprecipitation, and yeast two-hybrid analysis to identify interactions among several of enzymes of central flavonoid metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana. Immunocytochemistry is now being used to examine the subcellular location of these enzymes in wild-type and flavonoid-deficient seedlings. We are also testing the feasibility of using phage-derived scFv antibodies to disrupt flavonoid metabolism in transgenic Arabidopsis plants in order to identify determinants of complex formation in intact cells.