Gain‐of‐function mutations in beet DODA2 identify key residues for betalain pigment evolution

What is it about?

Betalains have replaced anthocyanins as the common red pigments that color flowers and fruits in most core plant families of the Caryophyllales order. How and why this evolutionary replacement occurred is a long-standing question. Here we show how a key enzyme in the betalain pathway evolved from a precursor that is common to all plants.

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