Chinese Academy of Sciences Chinese tallow, due to its vibrant of the autumn colors, is one of the essential commercial trees widely planted in China. However, the coloration effect of the Chinese tallow leaves is not as good as expected with changes of the environment. A research team led by Prof. WU Lifang from the Institute of Intelligent Machines, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) investigated the genetic regulation of red pigment formation in Chinese tallow leaves and identified an R2R3-MYB transcription factor SsMYB1 that positively regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis and determines leaf color in Chinese tallow. The researchers found that the anthocyanin content of Chinese tallow leaves was dependent on the expression of SsMYB1. Overexpression of the SsMYB1 in Arabidopsis showed higher anthocyanin contents, whereas silence of SsMYB1 significantly reduced its accumulation.