Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Flowers of Matthiola incana Flavanone 3-and Flavonoid 3′-Hydroxylases

Enzyme preparations from flowers of defined genotypes of Matthiola incana contain two dif­ ferent hydroxylases for hydroxylation of naringenin in the 3-and 3′-position, respectively. The 3-hydroxylase is a soluble enzyme and requires as cofactors 2-oxoglutarate, Fe 2+ and ascorbate. Besides naringenin eriodictyol is a substrate for the 3-hydroxylase. The 3′-hydroxylase is localized in the microsomal fraction and requires NADPH as cofactor. Naringenin and dihydro-kaempferol but not 4-coumarate or 4-coumaroyl-CoA are substrates for this enzyme. 3′-Hydroxylase activity is present only in genetic lines of M. incana with the wild-type allele b + .