The duplicated chalcone synthase genes C2 and Whp (white pollen) of Zea mays are independently regulated; evidence for translational control of Whp expression by the anthocyanin intensifying gene in.

Two chalcone synthase genes in maize have been cloned and molecularly characterized to be the C2 and the Whp (white pollen) locus. The two genes have highly homologous exon sequences but differ considerably in sequences 5' upstream and 3' downstream of the coding region, as well as in their introns. Northern and Western experiments of chalcone synthase expression in various tissues and in different genotypes indicated that C2 and Whp are differently regulated. The expression of Whp in maize aleurone is dependent on the presence of the recessive allele of the gene intensifier (in). The regulatory effect of in on Whp expression is not detectable at the transcriptional level, but seems to take place during translation.