The document summarizes efforts to create blue roses through genetic engineering. Scientists isolated the F3'5'H gene responsible for the blue pigment delphinidin from pansies and expressed it in roses, but the flowers remained dark burgundy rather than blue due to excess cyanidin production. Using RNAi technology to knock out the gene for cyanidin synthesis and overexpressing both the viola F3'5'H gene and an iris gene, transgenic rose plants were created that produced over 80% delphinidin, successfully converting pigment synthesis from cyanidin to delphinidin and yielding enhanced blue coloration.

1. Blue Rose
By Animikha Ghosh
Roll- RA2212024010003

3. Rose Market

5. Key Facts
• Ornamental plants such as Rose lack blue pigments
• The pigment for blue coloration is delphinidin
• However , economically important plants such as Rose, Chrysanthemum,
Lily, Carnation , Gerbera do not have the pigment. Crossbreeding is also
very difficult as no near relative of this plant exist with blue pigmentation
• The anthocyanins responsible for blue color development are mostly
delphinidin derivatives, while cyanidin derivatives are rare
• In particular, isolation of F3′5′H encoding Flavonoid 3′,5′-hydroxylase, a key
gene for synthesis of the anthocyanidin delphinidin

7. • F-3’5’-H gene was isolated from the viola or pansy flower which has deep blue
flowers and was cloned in a vector pSFL207.
• The gene was over-expressed under 35SCAMV promoter in a mauve rose
called the Cardinal de Richelieu
• The resultant flower was a dark burgundy colour instead of blue due to an
excess of the pigment cyanidin.
• Viola F3’5’H gene successfully yielded 44% of delphinidin in the petals
• The amount of cyanidin still surpassed that of delphinidin
• Two-thirds of the transgenic plants produced <20% delphinidin
• The change in flower color was not clear

8. • Using RNAi technology, the endogenous rose DFR catalyzing the synthesis of
cyanidin was knocked out
• An iris DFR was over-expressed along with viola F-3’5’H gene resulting in
enhanced blue color.
• This construct was cloned inside TDNA in the vector, pSPB919 and
transformed into the plant.
• .More than two-thirds of the transgenic rose plants harboring pSPB919
produced 80% delphinidin, which showed a successful conversion of cyanidin
synthesis to delphinidin synthesis

9. Source: NCBI

10. Reference:
● Kupferschmidt, K. (2019). In search of blue
● Noda, N. (2018). Recent advances in the research and development of blue
flowers. Breeding science, 17132.
● Blue rose. (2022, October
15). In Wikipedia.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_rose
● Notes from GCR of Usha ma’am

11. Thank You For Listening