The rolB gene-induced overproduction of resveratrol in Vitis amurensis transformed cells

The Effect of Stress Hormones, Ultraviolet C, and Stilbene Precursors on Expression of Calcineurin B-like Protein (CBL) and CBL-Interacting Protein Kinase (CIPK) Genes in Cell Cultures and Leaves of Vitis amurensis Rupr

Calcium serves as a crucial messenger in plant stress adaptation and developmental processes. Plants encode several multigene families of calcium sensor proteins with diverse functions in plant growth and stress responses. Several studies indicated that some calcium sensors may be involved in the regulation of secondary metabolite production in plant cells. The present study aimed to investigate expression of calcineurin B-like proteins (CBL) and CBL-interacting protein kinase (CIPK) in response to conditions inducting biosynthesis of stilbenes in grapevine. We investigated CBL and CIPK gene expression in wild-growing grapevine Vitis amurensis Rupr., known as a rich stilbene source, in response to the application of stilbene biosynthesis-inducing conditions, including application of stress hormones (salicylic acid or SA, methyl jasmonate or MeJA), phenolic precursors (p-coumaric acids or CA), and ultraviolet irradiation (UV-C). The influence of these effectors on the levels of 13 VaCBL and 27 VaCIPK mRNA transcripts as well as on stilbene production was analyzed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR in the leaves and cell cultures of V. amurensis. The data revealed that VaCBL4-1 expression considerably increased after UV-C treatment in both grapevine cell cultures and leaves. The expression of VaCIPK31, 41-1, and 41-2 also increased, but this increase was mostly detected in cell cultures of V. amurensis. At the same time, expression of most VaCBL and VaCIPK genes was markedly down-regulated both in leaves and cell cultures of V. amurensis, which may indicate that the CBLs and CIPKs are involved in negative regulation of stilbene accumulation (VaCBL8, 10a-2, 10a-4, 11, 12, VaCIPK3, 9-1, 9-2, 12, 21-1, 21-2, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41-3, 41-4). The results obtained provide new information of CBL and CIPK implication in the regulation of plant secondary metabolism in response to stress hormones, metabolite precursors, and UV-C irradiation.

Resveratrol biosynthesis, optimization, induction, bio-transformation and bio-degradation in mycoendophytes

Resveratrol (3,4,5-trihydroxystilbene) is a naturally occurring polyphenolic stilbene compound produced by certain plant species in response to biotic and abiotic factors. Resveratrol has sparked a lot of interest due to its unique structure and approved therapeutic properties for the prevention and treatment of many diseases such as neurological disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, inflammation, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. Over the last few decades, many studies have focused on the production of resveratrol from various natural sources and the optimization of large-scale production. Endophytic fungi isolated from various types of grapevines and Polygonum cuspidatum, the primary plant sources of resveratrol, demonstrated intriguing resveratrol-producing ability. Due to the increasing demand for resveratrol, one active area of research is the use of endophytic fungi and metabolic engineering techniques for resveratrol's large-scale production. The current review addresses an overview of endophytic fungi as a source for production, as well as biosynthesis pathways and relevant genes incorporated in resveratrol biosynthesis. Various approaches for optimizing resveratrol production from endophytic fungi, as well as their bio-transformation and bio-degradation, are explained in detail.

Recent Green Technologies in Natural Stilbenoids Production and Extraction: The Next Chapter in the Cosmetic Industry

Stilbenoids are well-known phytoalexins in the group of polyphenolic compounds. Because of their potent bioactivities, including antioxidant, antityrosinase, photoprotective, and antibacterial activities, stilbenoids are utilized as pharmaceutical active ingredient in cosmetic products. Thus, the demand for stilbenoids in the cosmetic industry is increasing. The main sources of stilbenoids are plants. Although plants are green and sustainable source materials, some of them do not allow a regular and constant supply due to seasonal and geographic reasons. Stilbenoids typically have been extracted by conventional organic solvent extraction, and then purified by separation techniques. This method is unfriendly to the environment and may deteriorate human health. Hence, the procedures called “green technologies” are focused on novel extraction methods and sustainable stilbenoids production by using biotechnology. In this review, the chemical structures together with the biosynthesis and current plant sources of resveratrol, oxyresveratrol, and piceatannol are described. Furthermore, recent natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) for green extraction as well as plant cell cultures for the production of those stilbene compounds are updated.

Using machine learning to link the influence of transferred Agrobacterium rhizogenes genes to the hormone profile and morphological traits in Centella asiatica hairy roots

Hairy roots are made after the integration of a small set of genes from Agrobacterium rhizogenes in the plant genome. Little is known about how this small set is linked to their hormone profile, which determines development, morphology, and levels of secondary metabolite production. We used C. asiatica hairy root line cultures to determine the putative links between the rol and aux gene expressions with morphological traits, a hormone profile, and centelloside production. The results obtained after 14 and 28 days of culture were processed via multivariate analysis and machine-learning processes such as random forest, supported vector machines, linear discriminant analysis, and neural networks. This allowed us to obtain models capable of discriminating highly productive root lines from their levels of genetic expression (rol and aux genes) or from their hormone profile. In total, 12 hormones were evaluated, resulting in 10 being satisfactorily detected. Within this set of hormones, abscisic acid (ABA) and cytokinin isopentenyl adenosine (IPA) were found to be critical in defining the morphological traits and centelloside content. The results showed that IPA brings more benefits to the biotechnological platform. Additionally, we determined the degree of influence of each of the evaluated genes on the individual hormone profile, finding that aux1 has a significant influence on the IPA profile, while the rol genes are closely linked to the ABA profile. Finally, we effectively verified the gene influence on these two specific hormones through feeding experiments that aimed to reverse the effect on root morphology and centelloside content.

Protective Effect of Resveratrol on Knee Osteoarthritis and its Molecular Mechanisms: A Recent Review in Preclinical and Clinical Trials

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the progressing chronic joint associated with by many complex factors such as age, obesity, and trauma. Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is the most common type of OA. KOA is characterized by articular cartilage destruction and degeneration, synovial inflammation, and abnormal subchondral bone changes. To date, no practical clinical approach has been able to modify the pathological progression of KOA. Drug therapy is limited to pain control and may lead to serious side effects when taken for a long time. Therefore, searching for safer and more reliable treatments has become necessary. Interestingly, more and more research has focused on natural products, and monomeric compounds derived from natural products have received much attention as drug candidates for KOA treatment. Resveratrol (RES), a natural phenolic compound, has various pharmacological and biological activities, including anti-cancer, anti-apoptotic, and anti-decay. Recently, studies on the effects of RES on maintaining the normal homeostasis of chondrocytes in KOA have received increasing attention, which seems to be attributed to the multi-targeted effects of RES on chondrocyte function. This review summarizes preclinical trials, clinical trials, and emerging tissue engineering studies of RES for KOA and discusses the specific mechanisms by which RES alleviates KOA. A better understanding of the pharmacological role of RES in KOA could provide clinical implications for intervention in the development of KOA.

Effect of VaMyb40 and VaMyb60 Overexpression on Stilbene Biosynthesis in Cell Cultures of Grapevine Vitis amurensis Rupr

Stilbenes are plant defense compounds known to rapidly accumulate in grapevine and some other plant species in response to microbial infection and several abiotic stresses. Stilbenes have attracted considerable attention due to valuable biological effects with multi-spectrum therapeutic application. However, there is a lack of information on natural signaling pathways and transcription factors regulating stilbene biosynthesis. It has been previously shown that MYB R2R3 transcription factor genes VaMyb40 and VaMyb60 were up-regulated in cell cultures of wild-growing grapevine Vitis amurensis Rupr. in response to UV irradiation. In this study, the effects of VaMyb40 or VaMyb60 overexpression in cell cultures of V. amurensis on their capability to produce stilbenes were investigated. Overexpression of the VaMyb60 gene led to a considerable increase in the content of stilbenes in three independently transformed transgenic lines in 5.9–13.9 times, while overexpression of the VaMyb40 gene also increased the content of stilbenes, although to a lesser extent (in 3.4–4.0 times) in comparison with stilbene levels in the empty vector-transformed calli. Stilbene content and stilbene production in the VaMyb60-transgenic calli reached 18.8 mg/g of dry weight (DW) and 150.8 mg/L, respectively. Using HPLC analysis, we detected eight individual stilbenes: t-resveratrol diglucoside, t-piceid, t-resveratrol, ε-viniferin, δ-viniferin, cis-resveratrol, cis-piceid, t-piceatannol. T-resveratrol prevailed over other stilbenoid compounds (53.1–89.5% of all stilbenes) in the VaMyb-overexpressing cell cultures. Moreover, the VaMyb40- and VaMyb60-transformed calli were capable of producing anthocyanins up to 0.035 mg/g DW, while the control calli did not produce anthocyanins. These findings show that the VaMyb40 and VaMyb60 genes positively regulate the stilbene biosynthesis as strong positive transcription regulators and can be used in biotechnological applications for stilbene production or high-quality viticulture and winemaking.

How do plants defend themselves against pathogens-Biochemical mechanisms and genetic interventions

In agro-ecosystem, plant pathogens hamper food quality, crop yield, and global food security. Manipulation of naturally occurring defense mechanisms in host plants is an effective and sustainable approach for plant disease management. Various natural compounds, ranging from cell wall components to metabolic enzymes have been reported to protect plants from infection by pathogens and hence provide specific resistance to hosts against pathogens, termed as induced resistance. It involves various biochemical components, that play an important role in molecular and cellular signaling events occurring either before (elicitation) or after pathogen infection. The induction of reactive oxygen species, activation of defensive machinery of plants comprising of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidative components, secondary metabolites, pathogenesis-related protein expression (e.g. chitinases and glucanases), phytoalexin production, modification in cell wall composition, melatonin production, carotenoids accumulation, and altered activity of polyamines are major induced changes in host plants during pathogen infection. Hence, the altered concentration of biochemical components in host plants restricts disease development. Such biochemical or metabolic markers can be harnessed for the development of "pathogen-proof" plants. Effective utilization of the key metabolites-based metabolic markers can pave the path for candidate gene identification. This present review discusses the valuable information for understanding the biochemical response mechanism of plants to cope with pathogens and genomics-metabolomics-based sustainable development of pathogen proof cultivars along with knowledge gaps and future perspectives to enhance sustainable agricultural production.

Development of Hairy Root Cultures for Biomass and Triterpenoid Production in Centella asiatica

Centella asiatica (Apiaceae) is a tropical/subtropical medicinal plant, which contains a variety of triterpenoids, including madecassoside, asiaticoside, madecassic acid, and asiatic acid. In this study, we tested the efficiency of hairy root (HR) induction in C. asiatica from leaf and petiole explants. Leaves and petioles collected from C. asiatica plants were suspended in agro-stock for 30 min and co-cultured with Agrobacterium rhizogenes for 3 days to induce HR formation. The transformation efficiency of leaf and petiole explants was approximately 27% and 12%, respectively. A total of 36 HR lines were identified by PCR-based amplification of rol genes, and eight of these lines were selected for further analysis. Among all eight HR lines, the petiole-derived lines HP4 and HP2 displayed the highest growth index (37.8) and the highest triterpenoids concentration (46.57 mg∙g⁻¹), respectively. Although triterpenoid concentration was >2-fold higher in leaves than in petioles of C. asiatica plants, the accumulation of triterpenoids in petiole-derived HR cultures was 1.4-fold higher than that in leaf-derived HR cultures. Additionally, in both leaf- and petiole-derived HR cultures, terpenoid production was higher in HRs than in adventitious roots. These results demonstrate that the triterpenoid content in the explant does not affect the triterpenoid content in the resultant HRs. The HR culture of C. asiatica could be scaled up to enable the mass production of triterpenoids in bioreactors for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

Agrobacterium rhizogenes rolB oncogene: An intriguing player for many roles

The rolB oncogene is one of the so-called rol genes found in the T-DNA region of the Agrobacterium rhizogenes Ri plasmid and involved in the hairy root syndrome, a tumour characterized by adventitious root overgrowth on plant stem. rolB produces in plants a peculiar phenotype that, together with its root-inducing capacity, has been connected to auxin sensitivity. The gene is able to modify the plant genetic programme to induce meristem cells and direct them to differentiate not only roots, but also other cells, tissues or organs. Besides its essential function in hairy root pathogenesis, the rolB role has been progressively extended to cover several physiological aspects in the transgenic plants: from secondary metabolites production and ROS inhibition, to abiotic and biotic stress tolerance and photosynthesis improvement. Some of the observed effects could be determined, at least in part, through microRNAs molecules, suggesting an epigenetic control rolB-mediated. These multifaceted capacities could allow plants to withstand adverse environmental conditions, enhancing fitness. In spite of this expanding knowledge, functional analyses did not detect yet any definitive rolB-derived biochemical product, even if more than one enzymatic activity has been ascribed to it. Moreover, phylogenetic and evolutionary studies evidenced no homology with any plant sequences but, otherwise, it belongs to the Plast family, a group of rolB-homologous bacterial genes. Finally, the finding of sequences similar to rolB in plants not infected by A. rhizogenes suggests a hypothetical plant origin for this gene, implying different possibilities about its evolution.

Biotic and Abiotic Elicitors of Stilbenes Production in Vitis vinifera L. Cell Culture

The in vitro cell cultures derived from the grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) have been used for the production of stilbenes treated with different biotic and abiotic elicitors. The red-grape cultivar Váh has been elicited by natural cellulose from Trichoderma viride, the cell wall homogenate from Fusarium oxysporum and synthetic jasmonates. The sodium-orthovanadate, known as an inhibitor of hypersensitive necrotic response in treated plant cells able to enhance production and release of secondary metabolite into the cultivation medium, was used as an abiotic elicitor. Growth of cells and the content of phenolic compounds trans-resveratrol, trans-piceid, δ-viniferin, and ɛ-viniferin, were analyzed in grapevine cells treated by individual elicitors. The highest accumulation of analyzed individual stilbenes, except of trans-piceid has been observed after treatment with the cell wall homogenate from F. oxysporum. Maximum production of trans-resveratrol, δ- and ɛ-viniferins was triggered by treatment with cellulase from T. viride. The accumulation of trans-piceid in cell cultures elicited by this cellulase revealed exactly the opposite effect, with almost three times higher production of trans-resveratrol than that of trans-piceid. This study suggested that both used fungal elicitors can enhance production more effectively than commonly used jasmonates.

Phytostilbenes as agrochemicals: biosynthesis, bioactivity, metabolic engineering and biotechnology

Covering: 1976 to 2020. Although constituting a limited chemical family, phytostilbenes represent an emblematic group of molecules among natural compounds. Ever since their discovery as antifungal compounds in plants and their ascribed role in human health and disease, phytostilbenes have never ceased to arouse interest for researchers, leading to a huge development of the literature in this field. Owing to this, the number of references to this class of compounds has reached the tens of thousands. The objective of this article is thus to offer an overview of the different aspects of these compounds through a large bibliography analysis of more than 500 articles. All the aspects regarding phytostilbenes will be covered including their chemistry and biochemistry, regulation of their biosynthesis, biological activities in plants, molecular engineering of stilbene pathways in plants and microbes as well as their biotechnological production by plant cell systems.

Overexpression of stilbene synthase genes to modulate the properties of plants and plant cell cultures

Plant stilbenes have attracted special attention as they possess valuable health benefits and improve plant resistance to environmental stresses. Stilbenes are synthesized via the phenylpropanoid pathway, where stilbene synthase (STS, EC 2.3.1.95) directly catalyzes the formation of t-resveratrol (monomeric stilbene). This review discusses the features of using STS genes in genetic engineering and plant biotechnology with the purpose to increase plant resistance to environmental stresses and to modify secondary metabolite production.

Effect of spruce PjSTS1a, PjSTS2, or PjSTS3 gene overexpression on stilbene biosynthesis in callus cultures of Vitis amurensis Rupr

Stilbenes are natural compounds protecting plants against microbial pathogens and known to possess valuable biologically active properties. In the present study, we established transgenic grapevine callus cell cultures overexpressing three stilbene synthase (STS) genes of spruce Picea jezoensis PjSTS1a, PjSTS2, and PjSTS3. Transformation of Vitis amurensis calli with the PjSTS1a, PjSTS2, and PjSTS3 genes significantly increased total content of stilbenes in 3.6-6, 2.5-2.9, and 4.1-16.1 times, respectively, in comparison with the control calli. The most pronounced positive effect on the accumulation of stilbenes was observed for the PjSTS3-overexpressing calli where the total content of stilbenes was increased up to 3.1 mg/g DW, and the stilbene production reached 25.4 mg/L. These values were higher than those achieved for the grapevine callus cell cultures overexpressing three STS genes from V. amurensis. Thus, transformation of grapevine cell cultures with spruce STS genes with a relatively low degree of homology to the endogenous VaSTSs is a more effective strategy for induction of plant secondary metabolite biosynthesis than using the grapevine genes for the overexpression experiments.

Stilbene biosynthesis and gene expression in response to methyl jasmonate and continuous light treatment in Vitis vinifera cv. Malvasia del Lazio and Vitis rupestris Du Lot cell cultures

Vitis rupestris is used as rootstock or to obtain hybrids with Vitis vinifera, due to its resistance to certain pathogens. Its resistance mechanisms are poorly understood, while it is known that stilbene neo-synthesis is a central defense strategy in V. vinifera. In the present study, the response to methyl jasmonate (MeJa) and light treatment in terms of stilbene biosynthesis and the expression of genes involved in polyphenol biosynthesis was investigated in V. vinifera and V. rupestris cells. The two species exhibited a similar constitutive stilbene content [2.50-2.80 mg g^-1 dry weight (DW)], which greatly increased in response to elicitation (8.97-11.90 mg g^-1 DW). In V. vinifera, continuous light treatment amplified the effect of MeJa, with a stilbene production that had never previously been obtained (26.49 mg g^-1 DW). By contrast, it suppressed the effect of MeJa in V. rupestris. Gene expression was consistent with stilbene production in V. vinifera, whereas discrepancies were recorded in V. rupestris that could be explained by the synthesis of stilbenes that had never before been analyzed in this species.

The Health Promoting Bioactivities of Lactuca sativa can be Enhanced by Genetic Modulation of Plant Secondary Metabolites

Plant secondary metabolites are protective dietary constituents and rol genes evidently increase the synthesis of these versatile phytochemicals. This study subjected a globally important vegetable, lettuce (Lactuca sativa) to a combination of untargeted metabolomics (LC-QTof-MS) and in vitro bioactivity assays. Specifically, we examined the differences between untransformed cultured lettuce (UnT), lettuce transformed with either rolABC (RA) or rolC (RC) and commercially grown (COM) lettuce. Of the 5333 metabolite features aligned, deconvoluted and quantified 3637, 1792 and 3737 significantly differed in RA, RC and COM, respectively, compared with UnT. In all cases the number of downregulated metabolites exceeded the number increased. In vitro bioactivity assays showed that RA and RC (but not COM) significantly improved the ability of L. sativa to inhibit α-glucosidase, inhibit dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) and stimulate GLP-1 secretion. We putatively identified 76 lettuce metabolites (sesquiterpene lactones, non-phenolic and phenolic compounds) some of which were altered by several thousand percent in RA and RC. Ferulic acid levels increased 3033–9777%, aminooxononanoic acid increased 1141–1803% and 2,3,5,4′tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-d-glucoside increased 40,272–48,008%. Compound activities were confirmed using commercially obtained standards. In conclusion, rol gene transformation significantly alters the metabolome of L.sativa and enhances its antidiabetic properties. There is considerable potential to exploit rol genes to modulate secondary metabolite production for the development of novel functional foods. This investigation serves as a new paradigm whereby genetic manipulation, metabolomic analysis and bioactivity techniques can be combined to enable the discovery of novel natural bioactives and determine the functional significance of plant metabolites.

Hairy root culture as a valuable tool for allelopathic studies in apple

Allelopathic plants exploit their chemical 'weapons' to prevail over the competition, suppress neighboring plants and consequently use the available resources more efficiently. However, the investigation of plant allelopathic interactions in rhizosphere is difficult to perform because of its high complexity due to interactions of biotic and abiotic factors. Thus, autonomous, aseptic root cultures of apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) could facilitate allelopathic studies. We report on the successful genetic transformation of apple cultivars Melrose, Golden Delicious, Čadel and Gloster using Agrobacterium rhizogenes (Riker et al. 1930) Conn 1942 strain 15834 and for the first time the establishment of apple autonomous and permanent in vitro hairy root cultures that could be used as a new tool for apple allelopathic assays. Molecular characterization of transgenic hairy root lines was conducted to elucidate the possible relationship between expression of T-DNA genes and root growth characteristics that include branching. Similar content of phenolic acids (chlorogenic, caffeic, syringic, p-coumaric and ferulic), glycosilated flavonoids (rutin, quercitrin, isoquercitrin, kaempferol-3-glucoside) and flavonoid aglycones (quercetin and naringenin), and dihydrochalcone phloridzin, was detected in untransformed and transgenic apple root tissue by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (UHPLC/(+/-)HESI-MS/MS) analyses, confirming that genetic transformation did not disturb secondary metabolite production in apple. Chlorogenic and caffeic acids and dihydrochalcones phloridzin and phloretin were detected as putative allelochemicals exuded into the growth medium in which transgenic roots were maintained for 4 weeks. Apple hairy root exudates significantly affected shoot and root development and growth of test plant Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. seedlings after 5 or 10 days of treatment. Additionally, core cell-cycle genes CDKA1;1, CDKB2;1, CYCA3;1 and CYCB2;4 were down regulated in Arabidopsis shoots suggesting, in part, their role in inhibition of shoot growth. The present work highlighted an autonomous and permanent in vitro hairy root culture system as a valuable tool for studying allelopathic potential of apple, offering new perspective for allelopathy background elucidation in this important fruit species.

Plant Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology: Following Mariotti's Steps

This review is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Domenico Mariotti, who significantly contributed to establishing the Italian research community in Agricultural Genetics and carried out the first experiments of Agrobacterium-mediated plant genetic transformation and regeneration in Italy during the 1980s. Following his scientific interests as guiding principles, this review summarizes the recent advances obtained in plant biotechnology and fundamental research aiming to: (i) Exploit in vitro plant cell and tissue cultures to induce genetic variability and to produce useful metabolites; (ii) gain new insights into the biochemical function of Agrobacterium rhizogenes rol genes and their application to metabolite production, fruit tree transformation, and reverse genetics; (iii) improve genetic transformation in legume species, most of them recalcitrant to regeneration; (iv) untangle the potential of KNOTTED1-like homeobox (KNOX) transcription factors in plant morphogenesis as key regulators of hormonal homeostasis; and (v) elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the transition from juvenility to the adult phase in Prunus tree species.

Reactivation of rolB transgene expression in Vitis amurensis Rupr. cells upon retransformation with 2b gene from Cucumovirus isolate NK

OBJECTIVE

Studies concerning 2b protein from Cucumovirus showed 2b to effectively repress functioning of the plant silencing complex, current study aimed whether retransformation with 2b gene able to restore silenced transgene expression in plant cells.

RESULTS

A rolB-transgenic cell culture of Vitis amurensis Rupr. that was continuously subcultured during more than 10 years and exhibited decreased transcription of the rolB transgene was retransformed with the 2b gene of Cucumovirus-NK. Three cell lines retransformed with 2b showed a significant up-regulation of rolB expression accompanied with enhancements in their stilbenes content level in more than 2,7-fold compared to parental rolB-transgenic cell line. The mentioned increase in the level of stilbenes content was due to activation of certain stilbene synthase genes expression responsible for stilbenes biosynthesis in V. amurensis cells. Restoration of rolB expression upon 2b-retransformation led to increase in the expression levels of VaSTS2-VaSTS5 and VaSTS7 isoforms.

CONCLUSIONS

2b from CMV-NK can reactivate a silenced transgene expression, even after 10 years of subcultivation, nevertheless, optimization of the methods concerning 2b introduction in plant genomes is necessary to avoid undesirable silencing effects.

Increase in isoflavonoid content in Glycine max cells transformed by the constitutively active Ca2+ independent form of the AtCPK1 gene

Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) represent a class within a multigene family that plays an important role in biotic and abiotic plant stress responses and is involved in the regulation of secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Our previous study showed that overexpression of the mutant constitutively active Ca2+ independent form of the AtCPK1 gene (AtCPK1-Ca) significantly increased the biosynthesis of anthraquinones and stilbenes in Rubia cordifolia L. and Vitis amurensis Rupr. transgenic cell cultures, respectively. Here, we have established transgenic calli of soybean plants Glycine max (L.) Merr. that express the AtCPK1-Ca gene. Heterologous expression of the AtCPK1-Ca gene provoked a 5.2-fold increase in total isoflavone production up to 208.09 mg/L, along with an increase in isoflavone aglycones production up to 6.60 mg/L, which is 3-fold greater than that of the control culture. The production of prenylated isoflavones significantly increased, reaching 3.78 mg/L, 13-fold higher than in the control culture. The expression levels of 4-coumarate:CoA ligases, isoflavone synthases, 2-hydroxyisoflavanone dehydratase, isoflavone dimethylallyltransferase, and coumestrol 4-dimethylallyltransferase genes in transgenic cell cultures significantly increased. Thus, heterologous expression of the AtCPK1-Ca gene can be used to bioengineer plant cell cultures that produce isoflavonoids.

The Agrobacterium Phenotypic Plasticity (Plast) Genes

The transfer of T-DNA sequences from Agrobacterium to plant cells is a well-understood process of natural genetic engineering. The expression of T-DNA genes in plants leads to tumors, hairy roots, or transgenic plants. The transformed cells multiply and synthesize small molecules, called opines, used by Agrobacteria for their growth. Several T-DNA genes stimulate or influence plant growth. Among these, iaaH and iaaM encode proteins involved in auxin synthesis, whereas ipt encodes a protein involved in cytokinin synthesis. Growth can also be induced or modified by other T-DNA genes, collectively called plast genes (for phenotypic plasticity). The plast genes are defined by their common ancestry and are mostly found on T-DNAs. They can influence plant growth in different ways, but the molecular basis of their morphogenetic activity remains largely unclear. Only some plast genes, such as 6b, rolB, rolC, and orf13, have been studied in detail. Plast genes have a significant potential for applied research and may be used to modify the growth of crop plants. In this review, I summarize the most important findings and models from 30 years of plast gene research and propose some outlooks for the future.

Perfluorodecalins and Hexenol as Inducers of Secondary Metabolism in Taxus media and Vitis vinifera Cell Cultures

Plant cell cultures constitute a potentially efficient and sustainable tool for the production of high added-value bioactive compounds. However, due to the inherent restrictions in the expression of secondary metabolism, to date the yields obtained have generally been low. Plant cell culture elicitation can boost production, sometimes leading to dramatic improvements in yield, as well as providing insight into the target biosynthetic pathways and the regulation of the genes involved. Among the secondary compounds successfully being produced in biotechnological platforms are taxanes and trans-resveratrol (t-R). In the current study, perfluorodecalins (PFDs) and hexenol (Hex) were tested for the first time with Taxus media and Vitis vinifera cell cultures to explore their effect on plant cell growth and secondary metabolite production, either alone or combined with other elicitors already established as highly effective, such as methyl jasmonate (MeJa), coronatine (Coro) or randomly methylated β-cyclodextrins (β-CDs). The total taxane content at the peak of production in T. media cell cultures treated with PFDs together with Coro plus β-CDs was 3.3-fold higher than in the control, whereas the t-R production in MeJa and β-CD-treated V. vinifera cell cultures increased 552.6-fold compared to the extremely low-yielding control. Hex was ineffective as an elicitor in V. vinifera cell cultures, and in T. media cell suspensions it blocked the taxol production but induced a clear enhancement of baccatin III. Regarding biosynthetic gene expression, a strong positive relationship was observed between the transcript level of targeted genes and taxol production in the T. media cell cultures, but not with t-R production in the elicited V. vinifera cell cultures.

Composite poplars: a novel tool for ectomycorrhizal research

Composite poplars were used for ectomycorrhiza formation. Structurally normal mycorrhizas of transgenic roots revealed better fungal sugar support. Targeting fluorescent proteins to peroxisomes allowed easy in planta visualization of successful transformation. A bottle neck in ectomycorrhizal research is the time demand for generation of transgenic plants. An alternative strategy for such root-centered research might be the formation of the so-called composite plants, where transgenic roots are formed by non-transgenic shoots. We have developed an Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated root transformation protocol using axenic Populus tremula × tremuloides and P. tremula × alba cuttings. When comparing four different bacterial strains, A. rhizogenes K599 turned out to be the most suitable for poplar transformation. Transgenic roots revealed only minor hairy root phenotype when plants were grown on agar plates with synthetic growth medium in the absence of a sugar source. When using different ectomycorrhizal fungi, formation of ectomycorrhizas by transgenic roots of composite poplars was not affected and mycorrhizas were anatomically indistinguishable from mycorrhizas of non-transgenic roots. Elevated trehalose content and marker gene expression, however, pointed towards somewhat better fungal carbon nutrition in ectomycorrhizas of transgenic compared to non-transgenic roots. Cell wall autofluorescence of poplar fine roots is an issue that can limit the use of fluorescent proteins as visual markers for in planta analysis, especially after ectomycorrhiza formation. By targeting marker proteins to peroxisomes, sensitive fluorescence detection, easily distinguishable from cell wall autofluorescence, was obtained for both poplar fine roots and ectomycorrhizas.

Determination of lignans, phenolic acids and antioxidant capacity in transformed hairy root culture of Linum usitatissimum

Hairy root culture is a promising alternative method for the production of secondary metabolites. In this study, transformed root of Linum usitatissimum was established using Agrobacterium rhizogenes A4 strain from root cultures for lignans, phenolic acids and antioxidant capacity determination. Total lignin content (secoisolariciresinol diglucoside, secoisolariciresinol and matairesinol) was 55.5% higher in transformed root cultures than in the non-transformed root culture. Secoisolariciresinol was detected in higher concentration (2.107 μmol/g DM) in the transformed root culture than non-transformed culture (1.099 μmol/g DM). Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside and matairesinol were exclusively detected in the transformed root culture, but were not found in the non-transformed root culture. The overall production of phenolic acids in transformed roots was approximately 3.5 times higher than that of the corresponding non-transformed culture. Free radical scavenging DPPH˙ and ABTS˙⁺ assays showed 2.9-fold and 1.76-fold higher anti-oxidant activity in transformed root culture as compared to non-transformed.

Regulation of stilbene biosynthesis in plants

This review analyzes the advances in understanding the natural signaling pathways and environmental factors regulating stilbene biosynthesis. We also discuss the studies reporting on stilbene content and repertoire in plants. Stilbenes, including the most-studied stilbene resveratrol, are a family of phenolic plant secondary metabolites that have been the subject of intensive research due to their valuable pharmaceutical effects and contribution to plant disease resistance. Understanding the natural mechanisms regulating stilbene biosynthesis in plants could be useful for both the development of new plant protection strategies and for commercial stilbene production. In this review, we focus on the environmental factors and cell signaling pathways regulating stilbene biosynthesis in plants and make a comparison with the regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis. This review also analyzes the recent data on stilbene biosynthetic genes and summarizes the available studies reporting on both stilbene content and stilbene composition in different plant families.

A new strategy to enhance the biosynthesis of trans-resveratrol by overexpressing stilbene synthase gene in elicited Vitis vinifera cell cultures

In this work, transgenic lines of suspension cultured cells of Vitis vinifera cv. Monastrell containing the plasmid pMOG800-sts have been obtained. The cell growth of these transgenic cell lines decreased slightly as compared to non-transgenic suspension cultured cells, while cell viability was not affected. In addition, the elicitation with cyclodextrins and methyl jasmonate enhanced the production of trans-resveratrol, observing the highest levels of this compound in sts-expressing transgenic Vitis suspension cultured cells with the sts expression cassette in the forwards orientation. Moreover, the forwards 2 (F2) transgenic cell line produced the greater levels of trans-resveratrol in comparison with the non-transgenic cell line. In fact, when suspension cultured cells were treated with both elicitors, the accumulation of trans-resveratrol outside the cells in the F2 transgenic suspension cultured cells increased twice (1458 mg.L^-1) as compared to non-transgenic cell lines (724 mg.L^-1). In both cases, the levels of trans-resveratrol detected in the treatment with cyclodextrins and methyl jasmonate were greater than the sum of the individual treatments, and therefore we observed a synergistic effect in the presence of both elicitors. Moreover, the expression profile of sts gene in transgenic V. vinifera cell lines was similar to the expression profile detected for the endogenous sts gene in non-transgenic V. vinifera cell lines, being the expression levels greater in the treatment with methyl jasmonate and cyclodextrins, which was related to the high levels of trans-resveratrol found in the presence of both elicitors.

Optimized Extraction of Resveratrol from Arachis repens Handro by Ultrasound and Microwave: A Correlation Study with the Antioxidant Properties and Phenol Contents

The vegetal species Arachis repens, commonly known as peanut grass, was studied and, for the first time, we detected the presence of the bioactive compound trans-resveratrol (t-RSV). We compared the efficiency of three different methodologies (conventional maceration [CM], ultrasound-assisted extractions [UAE], and microwave-assisted extractions [MAE]) concerning total phenolics (TP) and resveratrol (t-RSV) content, followed by antioxidant activity (AA) evaluation. By CM, at 1 h, the highest RSV content (1.024 ± 0.036 mg/L) and, correspondingly, the highest DPPH capture (23.90 ± 0.04%) were found. The TP contents, at 1 h, presented the highest value (27.26 ± 0.26 mg/g GAE). By the UAE, the maximum yields of TP (357.18 mg/g GAE) and RSV (2.14 mg/L), as well as, the highest AA (70.95%), were obtained by 5 min after a maceration pretreatment, on the solid-solvent ratio 1 : 40 w/v. For MAE, a central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was applied followed by the FFD design in order to evaluate the statistical effects of four independent variables on the extraction of RSV. The optimal conditions established for obtaining the highest recovery (2.516 mg/g) were 20 min; 90% MeOH aq.; 120 rpm; 60°C; and solid-solvent ratio: 1 : 35 w/v. Relevant correlations were established considering the TP and RSV contents, as well as the AA, corroborating obvious advantages of such techniques in terms of high extraction efficiency in shorter times.

Agrobacterium rhizogenes rolB gene affects photosynthesis and chlorophyll content in transgenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants

Insertion of Agrobacterium rhizogenes rolB gene into plant genome affects plant development, hormone balance and defence. However, beside the current research, the overall transcriptional response and gene expression of rolB as a modulator in plant is unknown. Transformed rolB tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivar Tondino has been used to investigate the differential expression profile. Tomato is a well-known model organism both at the genetic and molecular level, and one of the most important commercial food crops in the world. Through the construction and characterization of a cDNA subtracted library, we have investigated the differential gene expression between transgenic clones of rolB and control tomato and have evaluated genes specifically transcribed in transgenic rolB plants. Among the selected genes, five genes encoding for chlorophyll a/b binding protein, carbonic anhydrase, cytochrome b₆/f complex Fe-S subunit, potassium efflux antiporter 3, and chloroplast small heat-shock protein, all involved in chloroplast function, were identified. Measurement of photosynthesis efficiency by the level of three different photosynthetic parameters (F_v/F_m, rETR, NPQ) showed rolB significant increase in non-photochemical quenching and a, b chlorophyll content. Our results point to highlight the role of rolB on plant fitness by improving photosynthesis.

Rol genes enhance the biosynthesis of antioxidants in Artemisia carvifolia Buch

BACKGROUND

The secondary metabolites of the Artemisia genus are well known for their important therapeutic properties. This genus is one of the valuable sources of flavonoids and other polyphenols, but due to the low contents of these important metabolites, there is a need to either enhance their concentration in the original plant or seek alternative sources for them. The aim of the current study was to detect and enhance the yield of antioxidant compounds of Artemisia carvifolia Buch. HPLC analysis was performed to detect the antioxidants. With the aim of increasing flavonoid content, Rol gene transgenics of A. carvifolia were established. Two genes of the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and chalcone synthase, were studied by real time qPCR. Antioxidant potential was determined by performing different antioxidant assays.

RESULTS

HPLC analysis of wild-type A. carvifolia revealed the presence of flavonoids such as caffeic acid (30 μg/g DW), quercetin (10 μg/g DW), isoquercetin (400 μg/g DW) and rutin (300 μg/g DW). Compared to the untransformed plants, flavonoid levels increased 1.9-6-fold and 1.6-4-fold in rol B and rol C transgenics, respectively. RT qPCR analysis showed a variable expression of the flavonoid biosynthetic genes, including those encoding phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and chalcone synthase, which were found to be relatively more expressed in transformed than wild-type plants, thus correlating with the metabolite concentration. Methanolic extracts of transgenics showed higher antioxidant capacity, reducing power, and protection against free radical-induced DNA damage. Among the transgenic plants, those harboring rol B were slightly more active than the rol C-transformants.

CONCLUSION

As well as demonstrating the effectiveness of rol genes in inducing plant secondary metabolism, this study provides insight into the molecular dynamics of the flavonoid accumulation pattern, which correlated with the expression of biosynthetic genes.

The rolB gene activates secondary metabolism in Arabidopsis calli via selective activation of genes encoding MYB and bHLH transcription factors

It is known that the rolB gene of Agrobacterium rhizogenes increases the production of secondary metabolites in transformed plant cells, but its mechanism of action remains unclear. In this report, we demonstrate that rolB expression in Arabidopsis thaliana calli led to the activation of most genes encoding secondary metabolism-specific MYB and bHLH transcription factors (TFs), such as MYB11, MYB12, MYB28, MYB76, MYB34, MYB51, MYB122, TT2 and TT8. Accordingly, a higher transcript abundance of main biosynthetic genes related to these factors was detected. The rolB-transformed calli produced 3-fold higher levels of indolic glucosinolates (GSs) compared with normal calli but did not produce secondary metabolites from other groups. Enhanced accumulation of indolic GSs was caused by activation of MYB34, MYB51 and MYB122, and the absence of aliphatic GSs in transformed calli was caused by the inability of rolB to induce MYB29. The inability of rolB-calli to produce flavonoids was caused by the lack of MYB111 expression, induced by the rolB-mediated conversion of MYB expression from cotyledon-specific to root-specific patterns. The high specificity of rolB on secondary metabolism-specific TFs was demonstrated for the first time.

Genetic Transformation of Artemisia carvifolia Buch with rol Genes Enhances Artemisinin Accumulation

The potent antimalarial drug artemisinin has a high cost, since its only viable source to date is Artemisia annua (0.01-0.8% DW). There is therefore an urgent need to design new strategies to increase its production or to find alternative sources. In the current study, Artemisia carvifolia Buch was selected with the aim of detecting artemisinin and then enhancing the production of the target compound and its derivatives. These metabolites were determined by LC-MS in the shoots of A. carvifolia wild type plants at the following concentrations: artemisinin (8μg/g), artesunate (2.24μg/g), dihydroartemisinin (13.6μg/g) and artemether (12.8μg/g). Genetic transformation of A. carvifolia was carried out with Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV3101 harboring the rol B and rol C genes. Artemisinin content increased 3-7-fold in transgenics bearing the rol B gene, and 2.3-6-fold in those with the rol C gene. A similar pattern was observed for artemisinin analogues. The dynamics of artemisinin content in transgenics and wild type A.carvifolia was also correlated with the expression of genes involved in its biosynthesis. Real time qPCR analysis revealed the differential expression of genes involved in artemisinin biosynthesis, i.e. those encoding amorpha-4, 11 diene synthase (ADS), cytochrome P450 (CYP71AV1), and aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1), with a relatively higher transcript level found in transgenics than in the wild type plant. Also, the gene related to trichome development and sesquiterpenoid biosynthesis (TFAR1) showed an altered expression in the transgenics compared to wild type A.carvifolia, which was in accordance with the trichome density of the respective plants. The trichome index was significantly higher in the rol B and rol C gene-expressing transgenics with an increased production of artemisinin, thereby demonstrating that the rol genes are effective inducers of plant secondary metabolism.

Molecular and biochemical characterization of the UDP-glucose: Anthocyanin 5-O-glucosyltransferase from Vitis amurensis

Generally, red Vitis vinifera grapes only contain monoglucosidic anthocyanins, whereas most non-vinifera red grapes of the Vitis genus have both monoglucosidic and bis-glucosidic anthocyanins, the latter of which are believed to be more hydrophilic and more stable. Although previous studies have established the biosynthetic mechanism for formation of monoglucosidic anthocyanins, less attention has been paid to that of bis-glucosidic anthocyanins. In the present research, the full-length cDNA of UDP-glucose: anthocyanin 5-O-glucosyltransferase from Vitis amurensis Rupr. cv. 'Zuoshanyi' grape (Va5GT) was cloned. After acquisition and purification of recombinant Va5GT, its enzymatic parameters were systematically analyzed in vitro. Recombinant Va5GT used malvidin-3-O-glucoside as its optimum glycosidic acceptor when UDP-glucose was used as the glycosidic donor. Va5GT-GFP was found to be located in the cytoplasm by analyzing its subcellular localization with a laser-scanning confocal fluorescence microscope, and this result was coincident with its metabolic function of modifying anthocyanins in grape cells. Furthermore, the relationship between the transcriptional expression of Va5GT and the accumulation of anthocyanidin bis-glucosides during berry development suggested that Va5GT is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of bis-glucosidic anthocyanins in V. amurensis grape berries.

VaCPK20, a calcium-dependent protein kinase gene of wild grapevine Vitis amurensis Rupr., mediates cold and drought stress tolerance

Abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, cold and heat, are major environmental factors that limit crop productivity. Vitis amurensis Rupr. is a wild grapevine species displaying a high level of abiotic and biotic stress resistance. Protein kinases, including Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs), are known to mediate plant acclimation to various environmental changes. However, the functions of most grape CDPKs have not been clarified. A recent CDPK gene expression analysis revealed that 10 CDPK genes of V. amurensis were up-regulated under different abiotic stress treatments. The expression of the VaCPK20 gene was significantly up-regulated under low and high temperature stress in V. amurensis. In the current study, the effects of overexpressing the VaCPK20 gene in callus cell lines of V. amurensis and transgenic plants of A. thaliana on their responses to abiotic stresses were investigated. Transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing the VaCPK20 gene showed higher tolerance to freezing and drought stresses, and transgenic grape cell cultures overexpressing the VaCPK20 gene showed higher resistance to cold stress in comparison with the controls transformed by the "empty" vector. Heat and salt stress resistance of the transgenic V. amurensis calli and A. thaliana was comparable to that of the wild type and vector controls. Overexpression of the VaCPK20 gene increased the expression of stress-responsive genes, such as COR47, NHX1, KIN1, or ABF3, in the transgenic Arabidopsis plants under non-stress conditions, after freezing, and under drought stress. The results imply that VaCPK20 may act as a regulatory factor involved in cold and drought stress response pathways.

The methylation status of plant genomic DNA influences PCR efficiency

During the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which is a versatile and widely used method, certain DNA sequences are rapidly amplified through thermocycling. Although there are numerous protocols of PCR optimization for different applications, little is known about the effect of DNA modifications, such as DNA methylation, on PCR efficiency. Recent studies show that cytosine methylation alters DNA mechanical properties and suggest that DNA methylation may directly or indirectly influence the effectiveness of DNA amplification during PCR. In the present study, using plant DNA, we found that highly methylated plant DNA genomic regions were amplified with lower efficiencies compared to that for the regions methylated at a lower level. The correlation was observed when amplifying stilbene synthase (STS1, STS10) genes of Vitis amurensis, the Actin2 gene of Arabidopsis thaliana, the internal transcribed spacer (AtITS), and tRNAPro of A. thaliana. The level of DNA methylation within the analyzed DNA regions has been analyzed with bisulfite sequencing. The obtained data show that efficient PCRs of highly methylated plant DNA regions can be hampered. Proteinase K treatment of the plant DNA prior to PCR and using HotTaq DNA polymerase improved amplification of the highly methylated plant DNA regions. We suggest that increased DNA denaturation temperatures of the highly methylated DNA and contamination with DNA-binding proteins contribute to the hampered PCR amplification of highly methylated DNA. The data show that it is necessary to use current DNA purification protocols and commercial kits with caution to ensure appropriate PCR product yield and prevent bias toward unmethylated DNA amplification in PCRs.

Induction of secondary metabolite production by UV-C radiation in Vitis vinifera L. Öküzgözü callus cultures

Background

The aim of the present work was to examine the role of UV-C irradiation on the production of secondary metabolites (total phenolic, total flavanols, total flavonols, catechin, ferulic acid and trans-resveratrol in phenolic compounds and α-, β-, γ- δ-tocopherols) in callus cultures. Studies on the effects of UV-C treatment on callus culture are seldom and generally focused on UV-B. However UV-C radiation play an important role in accumule secondary metabolites.

Results

In this study, callus cultures from Öküzgözü grape cultivar were initiated from leaf petiole explants. Calli formed after 6 weeks on the medium supplemented with 0.5 mg L^-1 benzylaminopurine (BA), 0.5 mg L^-1 indole acetic acid (IAA) on B5 media. Callus tissues were exposed to UV-C irradiation at 10, 20 and 30 cm distances from the UV source for 5 and 10 minutes and samples were collected at hours 0, 24 and 48.

Conclusions

The greatest total phenolic content (155.14 mg 100 g^-1) was detected in calli exposed to UV-C for 5 min from 30 cm distance and sampled after 24 h. 24 h and 48 h incubation times, 30 cm and 5 min were the most appropriate combination of UV-C application in total flavanol content. Maximum total flavonol content (7.12 mg 100 g^-1) was obtained on 0 h, 5 min and 20 cm combination. The highest (+)- catechin accumulation (8.89 mg g^-1) was found in calli with 10 min UV-C application from 30 cm distance and sampled after 48 h. Ferulic acid content increased 6 fold in Öküzgözü callus cultures (31.37 μg g^-1) compared to the control group. The greatest trans-resveratrol content (8.43 μg g^-1) was detected in calli exposed to UV-C for 5 min from 30 cm distance and sampled after 24 h. The highest α-tocopherol concentration was found in calli exposed to UV-C for 10 min from 30 cm distance and sampled after 24 h. As a conclusion, it was showed that UV-C radiation had remarkable promoting effects on the accumulation of secondary metabolites in the calli of Öküzgözü grape cultivar.

Horizontal gene transfer from Agrobacterium to plants

Most genetic engineering of plants uses Agrobacterium mediated transformation to introduce novel gene content. In nature, insertion of T-DNA in the plant genome and its subsequent transfer via sexual reproduction has been shown in several species in the genera Nicotiana and Linaria. In these natural examples of horizontal gene transfer from Agrobacterium to plants, the T-DNA donor is assumed to be a mikimopine strain of A. rhizogenes. A sequence homologous to the T-DNA of the Ri plasmid of Agrobacterium rhizogenes was found in the genome of untransformed Nicotiana glauca about 30 years ago, and was named "cellular T-DNA" (cT-DNA). It represents an imperfect inverted repeat and contains homologs of several T-DNA oncogenes (NgrolB, NgrolC, NgORF13, NgORF14) and an opine synthesis gene (Ngmis). A similar cT-DNA has also been found in other species of the genus Nicotiana. These presumably ancient homologs of T-DNA genes are still expressed, indicating that they may play a role in the evolution of these plants. Recently T-DNA has been detected and characterized in Linaria vulgaris and L. dalmatica. In Linaria vulgaris the cT-DNA is present in two copies and organized as a tandem imperfect direct repeat, containing LvORF2, LvORF3, LvORF8, LvrolA, LvrolB, LvrolC, LvORF13, LvORF14, and the Lvmis genes. All L. vulgaris and L. dalmatica plants screened contained the same T-DNA oncogenes and the mis gene. Evidence suggests that there were several independent T-DNA integration events into the genomes of these plant genera. We speculate that ancient plants transformed by A. rhizogenes might have acquired a selective advantage in competition with the parental species. Thus, the events of T-DNA insertion in the plant genome might have affected their evolution, resulting in the creation of new plant species. In this review we focus on the structure and functions of cT-DNA in Linaria and Nicotiana and discuss their possible evolutionary role.

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of tomato with rolB gene results in enhancement of fruit quality and foliar resistance against fungal pathogens

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is the second most important cultivated crop next to potato, worldwide. Tomato serves as an important source of antioxidants in human diet. Alternaria solani and Fusarium oxysporum cause early blight and vascular wilt of tomato, respectively, resulting in severe crop losses. The foremost objective of the present study was to generate transgenic tomato plants with rolB gene and evaluate its effect on plant morphology, nutritional contents, yield and resistance against fungal infection. Tomato cv. Rio Grande was transformed via Agrobacterium tumefaciens harbouring rolB gene of Agrobacterium rhizogenes. rolB. Biochemical analyses showed considerable improvement in nutritional quality of transgenic tomato fruits as indicated by 62% increase in lycopene content, 225% in ascorbic acid content, 58% in total phenolics and 26% in free radical scavenging activity. Furthermore, rolB gene significantly improved the defence response of leaves of transgenic plants against two pathogenic fungal strains A. solani and F. oxysporum. Contrarily, transformed plants exhibited altered morphology and reduced fruit yield. In conclusion, rolB gene from A. rhizogenes can be used to generate transgenic tomato with increased nutritional contents of fruits as well as improved foliar tolerance against fungal pathogens.

Antioxidant activity of selected stilbenoids and their bioproduction in hairy root cultures of muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia Michx.)

Stilbenoids are polyphenolic phytoalexins with health-related properties in humans. Muscadine grape ( Vitis rotundifolia ) hairy root cultures were established via Agrobacterium rhizogenes -mediated transformation, and the effects of growth regulators (3-indolebutyric acid and 6-benzylaminopurine) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on stilbenoid production were studied. Twenty-one-day-old hairy root cultures were treated with 100 μM MeJA for 24 h, and then the stilbenoids were extracted from the medium and tissue with ethyl acetate and analyzed by HPLC. Resveratrol, piceid, and ε-viniferin were observed preferentially in tissue, whereas piceatannol was observed only in medium. Growth regulators did not affect the yield of stilbenoids, whereas higher levels were found upon treatment with MeJA. Stilbenoids identified in the hairy root cultures were analyzed for their radical scavenging capacity showing piceatannol and ε-viniferin as the strongest antioxidants. Muscadine grape hairy root cultures were demonstrated to be amenable systems to study stilbenoid biosynthesis and a sustainable source of these bioactive compounds.

Metabolic engineering and in vitro biosynthesis of phytochemicals and non-natural analogues

Over the years, natural products from plants and their non-natural derivatives have shown to be active against different types of chronic diseases. However, isolation of such natural products can be limited due to their low bioavailability, and environmental restrictions. To address these issues, in vivo and in vitro reconstruction of plant metabolic pathways and the metabolic engineering of microbes and plants have been used to generate libraries of compounds. Significant advances have been made through metabolic engineering of microbes and plant cells to generate a variety of compounds (e.g. isoprenoids, flavonoids, or stilbenes) using a diverse array of methods to optimize these processes (e.g. host selection, operational variables, precursor selection, gene modifications). These approaches have been used also to generate non-natural analogues with different bioactivities. In vitro biosynthesis allows the synthesis of intermediates as well as final products avoiding post-translational limitations. Moreover, this strategy allows the use of substrates and the production of metabolites that could be toxic for cells, or expand the biosynthesis into non-conventional media (e.g. organic solvents, supercritical fluids). A perspective is also provided on the challenges for generating novel chemical structures and the potential of combining metabolic engineering and in vitro biocatalysis to produce metabolites with more potent biological activities.