Lc as a non-destructive visual reporter and transposition excision marker gene for tomato

Abstract

The maize anthocyanin regulatory gene Lc gives rise to greatly enhanced anthocyanin accumulation when introduced into tomato. Under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus promoter Lc was seen to mediate enhanced pigmentation in all vegetative tissues, including roots, under high light (or sunlight) conditions. This paper demonstrates that the gene can be used as a powerful non-destructive cell autonomous visual excision marker which will provide a valuable tool for transposon mutagenesis, the study of transposon biology and for studying cell lineages at the whole-plant level.