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Pallotti C, Renau-Morata B, Cardone L, Nebauer SG, Albiñana Palacios M, Rivas-Sendra A, Seguí-Simarro JM, Molina RV. Understanding the Saffron Corm Development-Insights into Histological and Metabolic Aspects. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1125. [PMID: 38674534 PMCID: PMC11055066 DOI: 10.3390/plants13081125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
The reproduction of Crocus sativus L., a sterile triploid plant, is carried out exclusively through corms, whose size determines the saffron yield. The development of daughter corms (DC) is supported by photoassimilates supplied by the leaves as well as by the mother corms (MC). While biomass partitioning during DC development is well studied, growth dynamics in terms of cell number and size, the involved meristems, as well as carbohydrate partition and allocation, are not yet fully understood. We conducted a comprehensive study into saffron corm growth dynamics at the macroscopic and microscopic levels. Variations in carbohydrate content and enzymatic activities related to sucrose metabolism in sources and sinks were measured. Two key meristems were identified. One is involved in vascular connections between DC and MC. The other is a thickening meristem responsible for DC enlargement. This research explains how the previously described phases of corm growth correlate with variations in cell division, enlargement dynamics, and carbohydrate partitioning among organs. Results also elucidated that the end of DC growth relates to a significant drop in MC root biomass, limiting the water supply for the DC growth, and establishing the onset of leaf wilting. The lack of starch accumulation in aged leaf cells is noteworthy, as is the accumulation of lipids. We hypothesize a signaling role of sugars in DC growth initiation, stop, and leaf aging. Finally, we established a predominant role of sucrose synthase as a sucrolytic enzyme in the maintenance of the high flux of carbon for starch synthesis in DC. Together, the obtained results pave the way for the definition of strategies leading to better control of saffron corm development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Pallotti
- Departamento de Producción Vegetal, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s.n., 46022 Valencia, Spain; (C.P.); (B.R.-M.); (S.G.N.)
- Instituto Universitario de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana (COMAV), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s.n., 46022 Valencia, Spain; (M.A.P.); (A.R.-S.); (J.M.S.-S.)
| | - Begoña Renau-Morata
- Departamento de Producción Vegetal, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s.n., 46022 Valencia, Spain; (C.P.); (B.R.-M.); (S.G.N.)
- Departamento de Biología Vegetal, Universitat de València, C/Doctor Moliner 50, Burjasot, 46100 Valencia, Spain
| | - Loriana Cardone
- Department of European and Mediterranean Cultures, Environment, and Cultural Heritage, University of Basilicata, Via Lanera, 20, 75100 Matera, Italy;
| | - Sergio G. Nebauer
- Departamento de Producción Vegetal, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s.n., 46022 Valencia, Spain; (C.P.); (B.R.-M.); (S.G.N.)
| | - Mireia Albiñana Palacios
- Instituto Universitario de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana (COMAV), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s.n., 46022 Valencia, Spain; (M.A.P.); (A.R.-S.); (J.M.S.-S.)
| | - Alba Rivas-Sendra
- Instituto Universitario de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana (COMAV), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s.n., 46022 Valencia, Spain; (M.A.P.); (A.R.-S.); (J.M.S.-S.)
| | - José M. Seguí-Simarro
- Instituto Universitario de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana (COMAV), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s.n., 46022 Valencia, Spain; (M.A.P.); (A.R.-S.); (J.M.S.-S.)
| | - Rosa V. Molina
- Departamento de Producción Vegetal, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s.n., 46022 Valencia, Spain; (C.P.); (B.R.-M.); (S.G.N.)
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Pandey DK, Nandy S, Mukherjee A, Dey A. Advances in bioactive compounds from Crocus sativus (saffron): Structure, bioactivity and biotechnology. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-817907-9.00010-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
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Sharma M, Kaul S, Dhar MK. Transcript profiling of carotenoid/apocarotenoid biosynthesis genes during corm development of saffron (Crocus sativus L.). PROTOPLASMA 2019; 256:249-260. [PMID: 30078109 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-018-1296-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2018] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The dried stigmas of saffron constitute the world's costliest spice. Saffron has many therapeutic applications due to the presence of apocarotenoids. The latter are synthesized at different stages of development, and the biosynthetic pathway involves several genes encoding different enzymes. In order to understand the differential expression of various genes of the pathway, eight distinct developmental stages (S1-early to S8-late) were identified. The corms were assorted into three groups (I, II, and III) based on corm weight. Expression profiles of 12 carotenoid/apocarotenoid genes were studied. The expression of all genes was minimum/least in groups I and II corms during bud development. Lowest expression of carotenogenic genes (CsPSY, CsPDS, CsZDS, CsCRTISO, CsLYC-β1, CsLYC-ε, CsBCH2, and CsNCED) was observed during early stages (S1-S3) of corm growth (dormant period). In group III corms, increased expression of apocarotenoid genes (CsZCO, CsCCD2, CsUGT, and CsALDH) was observed during S4 to S8 stages (reproductive period, floral differentiation). Besides, expression profiles of genes in apical and axillary buds were also examined. Of all the genes studied, apocarotenoid biosynthesis genes (CsBCH2, CsZCO, CsCCD2, CsALDH, and CsUGT) were found to be upregulated in apical bud than in the axillary bud. The results indicated that interaction of phytohormones and sugars, mother corm reserves and the influence of internal and external factors may be contributing to the growth of saffron corm/bud. The study has laid a foundation for further research on the molecular mechanisms underlying bud dormancy/growth in saffron.
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Affiliation(s)
- Munish Sharma
- Genome Research Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, Jammu, 180006, India
| | - Sanjana Kaul
- Genome Research Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, Jammu, 180006, India
| | - Manoj Kumar Dhar
- Genome Research Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, Jammu, 180006, India.
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Metabolic shift in sugars and amino acids regulates sprouting in Saffron corm. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11904. [PMID: 28928401 PMCID: PMC5605653 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10528-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Saffron is one of the most expensive spices of the world. Since this spice is triploid and meiosis is unusual, it cannot reproduce sexually like other plants; rather, it is propagated vegetatively via an underground corm, which can withstand a long dry dormant period before sprouting. Thus, corms are indispensable to saffron propagation. To identify and analyse signature metabolites associated with the ‘dormancy-sprouting’ process, non-targeted GC-MS was performed at different stages of corm development. Comparative metabolite profiling reflected dissimilar profiles among the stages as portrayed by differential cluster patterns of metabolites in the PCA and PLS-DA analysis. Correlation analysis revealed the interdependencies of individual metabolites and metabolic pathway. At the onset of stage 2, characterized by the initiation and differentiation of leaf primordia, a shift from dormancy to active metabolism occurred as derived from the increased abundance of sugars and other metabolites involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, glycolytic, amino acid and fatty acid pathways. These changes contribute to sprouting and vegetative growth of the corm. The present study provides new insights into saffron corm composition and metabolite changes associated with various stages of corm development and may pave the way for achieving agronomical improvements in this economically important spice.
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Ahrazem O, Rubio-Moraga A, Nebauer SG, Molina RV, Gómez-Gómez L. Saffron: Its Phytochemistry, Developmental Processes, and Biotechnological Prospects. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2015; 63:8751-64. [PMID: 26414550 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5b03194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The present state of knowledge concerning developmental processes and the secondary metabolism of saffron, Crocus sativus L. (Iridaceae), along with the genes involved in these processes so far known, is reviewed. Flowers and corms constitute the most valuable parts of saffron. Corm and flower development are two key aspects to be studied in saffron to increase the yield and quality of the spice, to raise its reproductive rate, and to implement new production systems. Important knowledge about the physiology of flowering and vegetative growth has been acquired in recent years, but there is still only limited information on molecular mechanisms controlling these processes. Although some genes involved in flower formation and meristem transition in other species have been isolated in saffron, the role of these genes in this species awaits further progress. Also, genes related with the synthesis pathway of abscisic acid and strigolactones, growth regulators related with bud endodormancy and apical dominance (paradormancy), have been isolated. However, the in-depth understanding of these processes as well as of corm development is far from being achieved. By contrast, saffron phytochemicals have been widely studied. The different flower tissues and the corm have been proved to be an important source of phytochemicals with pharmacological properties. The biotechnological prospects for saffron are here reviewed on the basis of the discovery of the enzymes involved in key aspects of saffron secondary metabolism, and we also analyze the possibility of transferring current knowledge about flowering and vegetative propagation in model species to the Crocus genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oussama Ahrazem
- Instituto Botánico, Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnologı́a Agroforestal y Genética, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha , Campus Universitario s/n, 02071 Albacete, Spain
- Fundación Parque Cientı́fico y Tecnológico de Castilla-La Mancha , Campus Universitario s/n, 02071 Albacete, Spain
| | - Angela Rubio-Moraga
- Instituto Botánico, Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnologı́a Agroforestal y Genética, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha , Campus Universitario s/n, 02071 Albacete, Spain
| | - Sergio G Nebauer
- Departamento de Biologı́a Vegetal, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia , 46071 Valencia, Spain
| | - Rosa Victoria Molina
- Departamento de Biologı́a Vegetal, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia , 46071 Valencia, Spain
| | - Lourdes Gómez-Gómez
- Instituto Botánico, Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnologı́a Agroforestal y Genética, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha , Campus Universitario s/n, 02071 Albacete, Spain
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Rubio-Moraga A, Ahrazem O, Pérez-Clemente RM, Gómez-Cadenas A, Yoneyama K, López-Ráez JA, Molina RV, Gómez-Gómez L. Apical dominance in saffron and the involvement of the branching enzymes CCD7 and CCD8 in the control of bud sprouting. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2014; 14:171. [PMID: 24947472 PMCID: PMC4077219 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2229-14-171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2014] [Accepted: 06/12/2014] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In saffron (Crocus sativus), new corms develop at the base of every shoot developed from the maternal corm, a globular underground storage stem. Since the degree of bud sprouts influences the number and size of new corms, and strigolactones (SLs) suppress growth of pre-formed axillary bud, it was considered appropriate to investigate SL involvement in physiology and molecular biology in saffron. We focused on two of the genes within the SL pathway, CCD7 and CCD8, encoding carotenoid cleavage enzymes required for the production of SLs. RESULTS The CsCCD7 and CsCCD8 genes are the first ones isolated and characterized from a non-grass monocotyledonous plant. CsCCD7 and CsCCD8 expression showed some overlapping, although they were not identical. CsCCD8 was highly expressed in quiescent axillary buds and decapitation dramatically reduced its expression levels, suggesting its involvement in the suppression of axillary bud outgrowth. Furthermore, in vitro experiments showed also the involvement of auxin, cytokinin and jasmonic acid on the sprouting of axillary buds from corms in which the apical bud was removed. In addition, CsCCD8 expression, but not CsCCD7, was higher in the newly developed vascular tissue of axillary buds compared to the vascular tissue of the apical bud. CONCLUSIONS We showed that production and transport of auxin in saffron corms could act synergistically with SLs to arrest the outgrowth of the axillary buds, similar to the control of above-ground shoot branching. In addition, jasmonic acid seems to play a prominent role in bud dormancy in saffron. While cytokinins from roots promote bud outgrowth. In addition the expression results of CsCCD8 suggest that SLs could positively regulate procambial activity and the development of new vascular tissues connecting leaves with the mother corm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Rubio-Moraga
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología Agroforestal y Genética. Facultad de Farmacia, Instituto Botánico. Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, 02071 Albacete, Spain
| | - Oussama Ahrazem
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología Agroforestal y Genética. Facultad de Farmacia, Instituto Botánico. Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, 02071 Albacete, Spain
- Fundación Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Albacete. Campus Universitario s/n, 02071 Albacete, Spain
| | - Rosa M Pérez-Clemente
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castelló de la Plana, Spain
| | - Aurelio Gómez-Cadenas
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castelló de la Plana, Spain
| | - Koichi Yoneyama
- Weed Science Center, Utsunomiya University, 350 Mine-machi, Utsunomiya 321-8505, Japan
| | - Juan Antonio López-Ráez
- Department of Soil Microbiology and Symbiotic Systems, Estación Experimental del Zaidín-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (EEZ-CSIC), Granada, Spain
| | - Rosa Victoria Molina
- Departamento de Biología Vegetal, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46071 Valencia, Spain
| | - Lourdes Gómez-Gómez
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología Agroforestal y Genética. Facultad de Farmacia, Instituto Botánico. Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, 02071 Albacete, Spain
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Chrungoo N, Farooq S. Correlative Changes in Carbohydrate Content and Starch Hydrolysing Enzymes in Corms of Saffron Crocus (Crocus sativus L.) during Dormancy and Sprouting. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1985. [DOI: 10.1016/s0015-3796(85)80079-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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