Abstract: Flavonol has a wide range of biological activities and studies on biosynthesis and regulation of flavonol in plant attract more attention. Here，research progress in key enzymes（FLS，F3H，F3′H，F3′5′H，UGT）and regulatory factors（e.g. MYB transcription factors）in flavonol biosynthetic pathway were summarized from biochemical and molecular biological points of view. Important evidence illustrating key structure genes or regulatory factors playing critical roles in flavonol biosynthesis are emphasized，which may result in efficient regulation of target molecules and accumulation of flavonol compounds with important biological functions via genetic engineering.

Key words: flavonol, biosynthesis, regulation, molecular mechanism, genetic engineering