Yanjie Zhang

A minimal two-amino-acid deletion in SmMYB1 converts an activator into a dominant repressor, reshaping global eggplant anthocyanin pigmentation during domestication.

This study uncovers a rare case in which a deletion of just two amino acids is sufficient to generate a potent dominant-negative regulator, designated SmMYB1alf-D, which enables reliable prediction of fruit color and provides a breeding strategy to precisely manipulate anthocyanin metabolism.