Ultraviolet-B radiation: a potent regulator of flavonoids biosynthesis, accumulation and functions in plants

Flavonoids represent a diverse group of polyphenolic secondary metabolites which are distributed amongst most of the plant species. Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation is one of the important environmental regulators which governs the flavonoids biosynthesis at the transcriptional level. It is important to find out the role played by UV-B radiation in regulation of flavonoids biosynthesis and function under UV-B stress conditions in plants. This article summarizes the existing knowledge on the regulatory role of UV-B radiation on flavonoids biosynthesis and its accumulation trends in plants; further it discusses the diverse functions of flavonoids under the influence of UV-B radiation in plants. (author)