Special Issue "Metabolic Engineering or Tissue Culture Technology for Medicinal and Horticultural Plants"

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Genetics, Genomics, Breeding, and Biotechnology (G2B2)".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Kin-Ying To
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Academia Sinica, Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Taipei, Taiwan
Interests: plant tissue culture; genetic engineering; plant transformation; plant molecular biology; plant biotechnology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant transformation has become widely adopted as a method to both understand how plants work and to improve plant characteristics. Meanwhile, plant tissue culture technology has been employed as an important tool to produce secondary metabolites or improved characteristics in higher plants for several decades. In comparison with model species such as Arabidopsis and tobacco, plant transformation in most herbal plants and some crop/horticultural plants has not been reported yet. The topic of this Special Issue, which is focused on medicinal and horticultural plants, will include (but are not limited to): plant transformation, metabolic engineering, in vitro plant regeneration, suspension culture, induction of polyploidy, production of metabolites or bioactive compounds, molecular breeding of new variants, and so on. You are welcome to submit original research or review papers regarding all aspects of plant tissue culture, plant transformation, and biotechnology.

Dr. Kin-Ying To
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Plant transformation
  • plant tissue culture
  • metabolic engineering
  • plant regeneration
  • suspension culture
  • polyploidy
  • plant biotechnology
  • molecular breeding
  • metabolite production
  • bioactive compounds
  • medicinal plants
  • horticultural crops

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Article
Sucrose Enhances Anthocyanin Accumulation in Torenia by Promoting Expression of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis Genes
Horticulturae 2021, 7(8), 219; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7080219 - 02 Aug 2021
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Abstract
We examined the effects of different sucrose concentrations (3%, 5%, and 7%) on anthocyanin accumulation and plant growth in wild type (WT) and transgenic (T2) torenia cultivar “Kauai Rose” overexpressing the anthocyanin regulatory transcription factors B-Peru + mPAP1 or RsMYB1. Sucrose [...] Read more.
We examined the effects of different sucrose concentrations (3%, 5%, and 7%) on anthocyanin accumulation and plant growth in wild type (WT) and transgenic (T2) torenia cultivar “Kauai Rose” overexpressing the anthocyanin regulatory transcription factors B-Peru + mPAP1 or RsMYB1. Sucrose increased anthocyanin production in both WT and transgenic plants, with higher anthocyanin production in transgenic plants compared to WT plants. Higher sucrose concentrations increased production of anthocyanin in transgenic and WT plants, with increased anthocyanin production associated with increased expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes. Higher sucrose concentrations reduced growth of WT and transgenic plants. Our results indicate that sucrose enhances anthocyanin production in torenia by regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis genes. Full article
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Article
Influence of Light Conditions and Medium Composition on Morphophysiological Characteristics of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni In Vitro and In Vivo
Horticulturae 2021, 7(7), 195; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7070195 - 15 Jul 2021
Viewed by 419
Abstract
We investigated the influence of different conditions (light composition and plant growth regulators (PGRs) in culture media) on the morphophysiological parameters of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni in vitro and in vivo. Both PGRs and the light spectra applied were found to significantly affect plant [...] Read more.
We investigated the influence of different conditions (light composition and plant growth regulators (PGRs) in culture media) on the morphophysiological parameters of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni in vitro and in vivo. Both PGRs and the light spectra applied were found to significantly affect plant morphogenesis. During the micropropagation stage of S. rebaudiana, optimal growth, with a multiplication coefficient of 15, was obtained in an MS culture medium containing 2,4-epibrassinolide (Epin) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.5 mg L−1, respectively. During the rooting stage, we found that the addition of 0.5 mg L−1 hydroxycinnamic acid (Zircon) to the MS medium led to an optimal root formation frequency of 85% and resulted in the formation of strong plants with well-developed leaf blades. Cultivation on media containing 0.1 mg L−1 Epin and 0.5 mg L−1 IAA and receiving coherent light irradiation on a weekly basis resulted in a 100% increase in the multiplication coefficient, better adventitious shoot growth, and a 33% increase in the number of leaves. S. rebaudiana microshoots, cultured on MS media containing 1.0 mg L−1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.5 mg L−1 IAA with red monochrome light treatments, increased the multiplication coefficient by 30% compared with controls (white light, media without PGRs). Full article
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Article
Optimization of Different Factors for Initiation of Somatic Embryogenesis in Suspension Cultures in Sandalwood (Santalum album L.)
Horticulturae 2021, 7(5), 118; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7050118 - 19 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 488
Abstract
Santalum album (L.) is a prized tropical tree species of high therapeutic and industrial importance. The wood of these naturally grown plants is extensively harvested to acquire therapeutically important metabolite santalol and be used for additional functions such as in wood statuette industries. [...] Read more.
Santalum album (L.) is a prized tropical tree species of high therapeutic and industrial importance. The wood of these naturally grown plants is extensively harvested to acquire therapeutically important metabolite santalol and be used for additional functions such as in wood statuette industries. Due to high demand, it is crucial to maintain a sufficient plant population. An easy protocol for establishing cell suspension culture initiated from the loose embryogenic callus mass of sandalwood was realized by shifting 6–8-week-old morphogenic calli acquired from the mature embryonic axis and cotyledon explant cultures in fluid media. The asynchronous embryogenic cultures were sloughed with clumps of flourishing cell clumps and embryos of various progressive phases along with diffident non-embryogenic tissues. The frequency of embryo proliferation was evidenced to determinethe expansion pace of embryogenic masses under diverse conditions. The intonation of initiation and creation of cell suspension was under the directive of the influence of exogenous plant growth regulators amended in the nutrient medium at different concentrations and combinations. Maximum relative growth rate (386%) and clumps/embryoids in elevated integers (321.44) were accomplished on MS nutrient medium fortified with 2.0 mg L−1 2,4-D in association with 0.5 mg L−1 BA and 30.0 g L−1 sucrose raised from mature embryonic axis-derived calli. Plantlet regeneration in higher frequency (84.43%) was evidenced on MS medium amended with 1.0 mg L−1 each of TDZ and GA3 in conjunction with 0.5 mg L−1 NAA and 20.0 g L−1 sucrose. Mature embryonic axis-derived calli were found to be constantly better than mature cotyledon-derived calli for raising profitable and reproducible cell suspension cultures. Regenerants displayed normal growth and morphology and were founded successfully in the external environment after hardening. Full article
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Communication
An Optimized Protocol for In Vitro Indirect Shoot Organogenesis of Impala Bronzovaya and Zanzibar Green Ricinus communis L. Varieties
Horticulturae 2021, 7(5), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7050105 - 09 May 2021
Viewed by 619
Abstract
The castor bean is an important industrial and ornamental crop. In the industry, it is used as a source of castor oil. Moreover, it has a large potential as a feed crop, because the seeds contain a high amount of protein. A main [...] Read more.
The castor bean is an important industrial and ornamental crop. In the industry, it is used as a source of castor oil. Moreover, it has a large potential as a feed crop, because the seeds contain a high amount of protein. A main problem with castor bean use is the presence of toxins in the plants. Today, detoxification is carried out using various approaches, including biotechnological methods such as CRISPR/Cas9 technology. A successful application of these methods requires the availability of an efficient in vitro protocol for callus induction and shoot organogenesis. We present the results of in vitro condition optimization for two castor bean varieties (Impala Bronzovaya and Zanzibar Green). Eight different Murashige–Skoog (MS) culture media characterized by different plant growth regulator (PGR) combinations, as well as explant types (hypocotyls, cotyledonous leaves, and cotyledon petioles), were tested. The highest frequency of shoot organogenesis and average number per explant were observed during the cultivation of cotyledon petioles in both varieties on the Murashige and Skoog culture medium (MS) containing 1 or 2 mg/L of zeatin in combination with 0.1 mg/L of 3-indoleacetic acid (IAA). An optimized protocol for in vitro callus induction and shoot organogenesis may be used for biotechnological applications to obtain toxin-free castor bean, as well as Ricinus communis L. plants, with new ornamental traits and their combinations. Full article
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