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Krishna TA, Maharajan T, Krishna TA, Ceasar SA. Insights into Metabolic Engineering of Bioactive Molecules in Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels & Gilg: A Traditional Medicinal Herb. Curr Genomics 2023; 24:72-83. [PMID: 37994327 PMCID: PMC10662378 DOI: 10.2174/0113892029251472230921053135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants are a vital source of bioactive molecules for various drug development processes. Tetrastigma hemsleyanum is one of the endangered medicinal plant species well known to the world due to its wide range of therapeutic effects. Many bioactive molecules have been identified from this plant, including many classes of secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, phenols, terpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, etc. Due to its slow growth, it usually takes 3-5 years to meet commercial medicinal materials for this plant. Also, T. hemsleyanum contains low amounts of specific bioactive compounds, which are challenging to isolate easily. Currently, scientists are attempting to increase bioactive molecules' production from medicinal plants in different ways or to synthesize them chemically. The genomic tools helped to understand medicinal plants' genome organization and led to manipulating genes responsible for various biosynthesis pathways. Metabolic engineering has made it possible to enhance the production of secondary metabolites by introducing manipulated biosynthetic pathways to attain high levels of desirable bioactive molecules. Metabolic engineering is a promising approach for improving the production of secondary metabolites over a short time period. In this review, we have highlighted the scope of various biotechnological approaches for metabolic engineering to enhance the production of secondary metabolites for pharmaceutical applications in T. hemsleyanum. Also, we summarized the progress made in metabolic engineering for bioactive molecule enhancement in T. hemsleyanum. It may lead to reducing the destruction of the natural habitat of T. hemsleyanum and conserving them through the cost-effective production of bioactive molecules in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- T.P. Ajeesh Krishna
- Division of Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Biosciences, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kochi, 683104, Kerala, India
| | - T. Maharajan
- Division of Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Biosciences, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kochi, 683104, Kerala, India
| | - T.P. Adarsh Krishna
- Research & Development Division, Sreedhareeyam Farmherbs India Pvt. Ltd, Ernakulam, 686-662, Kerala, India
| | - S. Antony Ceasar
- Division of Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Biosciences, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kochi, 683104, Kerala, India
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Prakashrao AS, Beuerle T, Simões ARG, Hopf C, Çiçek SS, Stegemann T, Ober D, Kaltenegger E. The long road of functional recruitment-The evolution of a gene duplicate to pyrrolizidine alkaloid biosynthesis in the morning glories (Convolvulaceae). PLANT DIRECT 2022; 6:e420. [PMID: 35865076 PMCID: PMC9295680 DOI: 10.1002/pld3.420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In plants, homospermidine synthase (HSS) is a pathway-specific enzyme initiating the biosynthesis of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), which function as a chemical defense against herbivores. In PA-producing Convolvulaceae ("morning glories"), HSS originated from deoxyhypusine synthase at least >50 to 75 million years ago via a gene duplication event and subsequent functional diversification. To study the recruitment of this ancient gene duplicate to PA biosynthesis, the presence of putative hss gene copies in 11 Convolvulaceae species was analyzed. Additionally, various plant parts from seven of these species were screened for the presence of PAs. Although all of these species possess a putative hss copy, PAs could only be detected in roots of Ipomoea neei (Spreng.) O'Donell and Distimake quinquefolius (L.) A.R.Simões & Staples in this study. A precursor of PAs was detected in roots of Ipomoea alba L. Thus, despite sharing high sequence identities, the presence of an hss gene copy does not correlate with PA accumulation in particular species of Convolvulaceae. In vitro activity assays of the encoded enzymes revealed a broad spectrum of enzyme activity, further emphasizing a functional diversity of the hss gene copies. A recently identified HSS specific amino acid motif seems to be important for the loss of the ancestral protein function-the activation of the eukaryotic initiation factor 5A (eIF5A). Thus, the motif might be indicative for a change of function but allows not to predict the new function. This emphasizes the challenges in annotating functions for duplicates, even for duplicates from closely related species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arunraj Saranya Prakashrao
- Department Biochemical Ecology and Molecular Evolution, Botanical InstituteChristian‐Albrechts‐UniversityKielGermany
- Present address:
Heart Research Center GöttingenUniversity Medical Center GöttingenGöttingenGermany.
| | - Till Beuerle
- Institute of Pharmaceutical BiologyTechnische Universität BraunschweigBraunschweigGermany
| | - Ana Rita G. Simões
- Royal Botanic Gardens, KewRichmondUK
- Systematic and Evolutionary Botany LabGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
| | - Christina Hopf
- Department of Structural Biology, Zoological InstituteChristian‐Albrechts‐UniversityKielGermany
| | - Serhat Sezai Çiçek
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Pharmaceutical InstituteChristian‐Albrechts‐UniversityKielGermany
| | - Thomas Stegemann
- Department Biochemical Ecology and Molecular Evolution, Botanical InstituteChristian‐Albrechts‐UniversityKielGermany
| | - Dietrich Ober
- Department Biochemical Ecology and Molecular Evolution, Botanical InstituteChristian‐Albrechts‐UniversityKielGermany
| | - Elisabeth Kaltenegger
- Department Biochemical Ecology and Molecular Evolution, Botanical InstituteChristian‐Albrechts‐UniversityKielGermany
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Kaltenegger E, Prakashrao AS, Çiçek SS, Ober D. Development of an activity assay for characterizing deoxyhypusine synthase and its diverse reaction products. FEBS Open Bio 2021; 11:10-25. [PMID: 33247548 PMCID: PMC7780104 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Deoxyhypusine synthase transfers an aminobutyl moiety from spermidine to the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF5A) in the first step of eIF5A activation. This exclusive post-translational modification is conserved in all eukaryotes. Activated eIF5A has been shown to be essential for cell proliferation and viability. Recent reports have linked the activation of eIF5A to several human diseases. Deoxyhypusine synthase, which is encoded by a single gene copy in most eukaryotes, was duplicated in several plant lineages during evolution, the copies being repeatedly recruited to pyrrolizidine alkaloid biosynthesis. However, the function of many of these duplicates is unknown. Notably, deoxyhypusine synthase is highly promiscuous and can catalyze various reactions, often of unknown biological relevance. To facilitate in-depth biochemical studies of this enzyme, we report here the development of a simple and robust in vitro enzyme assay. It involves precolumn derivatization of the polyamines taking part in the reaction and avoids the need for the previously used radioactively labeled tracers. The derivatized polyamines are quantified after high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array and fluorescence detectors. By performing kinetic analyses of deoxyhypusine synthase and its paralog from the pyrrolizidine alkaloid-producing plant Senecio vernalis, we demonstrate that the assay unequivocally differentiates the paralogous enzymes. Furthermore, it detects and quantifies, in a single assay, the side reactions that occur in parallel to the main reaction. The presented assay thus provides a detailed biochemical characterization of deoxyhypusine synthase and its paralogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Kaltenegger
- Biochemical Ecology and Molecular Evolution GroupBotanical Institute and Kiel Botanic GardensChristian‐Albrechts‐UniversityKielGermany
| | - Arunraj S. Prakashrao
- Biochemical Ecology and Molecular Evolution GroupBotanical Institute and Kiel Botanic GardensChristian‐Albrechts‐UniversityKielGermany
| | - Serhat S. Çiçek
- Pharmacognosy GroupPharmaceutical InstituteChristian‐Albrechts‐UniversityKielGermany
| | - Dietrich Ober
- Biochemical Ecology and Molecular Evolution GroupBotanical Institute and Kiel Botanic GardensChristian‐Albrechts‐UniversityKielGermany
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Subbaraj AK, Huege J, Fraser K, Cao M, Rasmussen S, Faville M, Harrison SJ, Jones CS. A large-scale metabolomics study to harness chemical diversity and explore biochemical mechanisms in ryegrass. Commun Biol 2019; 2:87. [PMID: 30854479 PMCID: PMC6399292 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-019-0289-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is integral to temperate pastoral agriculture, which contributes most of the milk and meat production worldwide. Chemical profiles and diversity of ryegrass offer several opportunities to harness specific traits and elucidate underlying biological mechanisms for forage improvement. We conducted a large-scale metabolomics study of perennial ryegrass comprising 715 genotypes, representing 118 populations from 21 countries. Liquid/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry based targeted and non-targeted techniques were used to analyse fructan oligosaccharides, lipids, fatty acid methyl esters, polar and semi-polar compounds. Fructan diversity across all genotypes was evaluated, high- and low-sugar groups identified, and fructan accumulation mechanisms explored. Metabolites differentiating the two groups were characterised, modules and pathways they represent deduced, and finally, visualisation and interpretation provided in a biological context. We also demonstrate a workflow for large-scale metabolomics studies from raw data through to statistical and pathway analysis. Raw files and metadata are available at the MetaboLights database.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arvind K Subbaraj
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Tennent Drive, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
| | - Jan Huege
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Tennent Drive, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Karl Fraser
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Tennent Drive, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Mingshu Cao
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Tennent Drive, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Susanne Rasmussen
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Tennent Drive, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North, New Zealand
- Institute of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Marty Faville
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Tennent Drive, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Scott J Harrison
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Tennent Drive, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North, New Zealand
- PepsiCo, Cork, Ireland
| | - Chris S Jones
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Tennent Drive, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North, New Zealand
- Feed and Forage Biosciences, International Livestock Research Institute, PO Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Schramm S, Köhler N, Rozhon W. Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids: Biosynthesis, Biological Activities and Occurrence in Crop Plants. Molecules 2019; 24:E498. [PMID: 30704105 PMCID: PMC6385001 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24030498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 01/28/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are heterocyclic secondary metabolites with a typical pyrrolizidine motif predominantly produced by plants as defense chemicals against herbivores. They display a wide structural diversity and occur in a vast number of species with novel structures and occurrences continuously being discovered. These alkaloids exhibit strong hepatotoxic, genotoxic, cytotoxic, tumorigenic, and neurotoxic activities, and thereby pose a serious threat to the health of humans since they are known contaminants of foods including grain, milk, honey, and eggs, as well as plant derived pharmaceuticals and food supplements. Livestock and fodder can be affected due to PA-containing plants on pastures and fields. Despite their importance as toxic contaminants of agricultural products, there is limited knowledge about their biosynthesis. While the intermediates were well defined by feeding experiments, only one enzyme involved in PA biosynthesis has been characterized so far, the homospermidine synthase catalyzing the first committed step in PA biosynthesis. This review gives an overview about structural diversity of PAs, biosynthetic pathways of necine base, and necic acid formation and how PA accumulation is regulated. Furthermore, we discuss their role in plant ecology and their modes of toxicity towards humans and animals. Finally, several examples of PA-producing crop plants are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Schramm
- Biotechnology of Horticultural Crops, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Liesel-Beckmann-Straße 1, 85354 Freising, Germany.
| | - Nikolai Köhler
- Biotechnology of Horticultural Crops, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Liesel-Beckmann-Straße 1, 85354 Freising, Germany.
| | - Wilfried Rozhon
- Biotechnology of Horticultural Crops, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Liesel-Beckmann-Straße 1, 85354 Freising, Germany.
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