著者

Kumi YOSHIDA Kin-ichi OYAMA Tadao KONDO

出版者

The Japan Academy

雑誌

Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series B (ISSN:03862208)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.97, no.2, pp.51-68, 2021-02-10 (Released:2021-02-10)

参考文献数

63

被引用文献数

5

---

Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) is a unique flower because it is composed of sepals rather than true petals that have the ability to change color. In the early 20th century, it was known that soil acidity and Al3+ content could intensify the blue hue of the sepals. In the mid-20th century, the anthocyanin component 3-O-glucosyldelphinidin (1) and the copigment components 5-O-caffeoylquinic, 5-O-p-coumaroylquinic, and 3-O-caffeoylquinic acids (2–4) were reported. Interestingly, all hydrangea colors from red to purple to blue are produced by the same organic components. We were interested in this phenomenon and the chemical mechanisms underlying hydrangea color variation. In this review, we summarize our recent studies on the chemical mechanisms underlying hydrangea sepal color development, including the structure of the blue complex, transporters involved in accumulation of aluminum ion (Al3+), and distribution of the blue complex and aluminum ions in living sepal tissue.