Search Results (4)

To reveal the effect of sucrose concentration on the production of secondary metabolites, a metabolome and transcriptome joint analysis was carried out using callus induced from grape variety Mio Red cambial meristematic cells. We identified 559 metabolites—mainly flavonoids, phenolic acids, and stilbenoids—as differential content metabolites (fold change ≥2 or ≤0.5) in at least one pairwise comparison of treatments with 7.5, 15, or 30 g/L sucrose in the growing media for 15 or 30 days (d). Resveratrol, viniferin, and amurensin contents were highest at 15 d of subculture; piceid, ampelopsin, and pterostilbene had higher contents at 30 d. A transcriptome analysis identified 1310 and 498 (at 15 d) and 1696 and 2211 (at 30 d) differentially expressed genes (DEGs; log2(fold change) ≥ 1, p < 0.05) in 7.5 vs. 15 g/L and 15 vs. 30 g/L sucrose treatments, respectively. In phenylpropane and isoflavone pathways, DEGs encoding cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase, chalcone synthase, chalcone isomerase, and flavanone 3-hydroxylase were more highly expressed at 15 d than at 30 d, while other DEGs showed different regulation patterns corresponding to sucrose concentrations and cultivation times. For all three sucrose concentrations, the stilbene synthase (STS) gene exhibited significantly higher expression at 15 vs. 30 d, while two resveratrol O-methyltransferase (ROMT) genes related to pterostilbene synthesis showed significantly higher expression at 30 vs. 15 d. In addition, a total of 481 DEGs were annotated as transcription factors in pairwise comparisons; an integrative analysis suggested MYB59, WRKY20, and MADS8 as potential regulators responding to sucrose levels in flavonoid and stilbene biosynthesis in grape callus. Our results provide valuable information for high-efficiency production of flavonoids and stilbenes using grape callus. Full article

Panax ginseng, a traditional Chinese medicine with a history spanning thousands of years, faces overexploitation and challenges related to extended growth periods. Tissue-cultured adventitious roots and stem cells are alternatives to wild and field-cultivated ginseng. In this study, we assessed the in vitro xanthine oxidase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of saponin extracts among cultured cambial meristematic cells (CMC), adventitious ginseng roots (AGR), and field-cultivated ginseng roots (CGR). The xanthine oxidase (XO) and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities were determined by uric acid estimation and the p-NPG method, respectively. Spectrophotometry and the Folin–Ciocalteu, aluminum nitrate, and Bradford methods were employed to ascertain the total saponins and phenolic, flavonoid, and protein contents. The calculated IC₅₀ values for total saponin extracts against XO and α-glucosidase were 0.665, 0.844, and >1.6 mg/mL and 0.332, 0.745, and 0.042 mg/mL for AGR, CMC, CGR, respectively. Comparing the total saponin, crude protein, and total phenolic contents revealed that AGR > CMC > CGR. To the best of our knowledge, this study presents the first report on the in vitro comparison of xanthine oxidase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities among AGR, CMC, and CGR. The findings offer valuable insights into the development of hypoglycemic and antihyperuricemic medicinal, nutraceutical, and functional products utilizing AGR and CMC. Full article

The in vitro cultures of plant stem cells and stem cell-like cells can be established from tissues containing meristematic cells. Chemical compounds—as well as their production potential—is among the emerging topics of plant biotechnology. We induced the callus cell biomass growth and characterized the parameters indicating the presence of stem cells or stem cell-like cells. Four types of explants (stem, petiole, leaf, root) from Sida hermaphrodita (L.) Rusby and various combinations of auxins and cytokinins were tested for initiation of callus, growth of sub-cultivated callus biomass, and establishment of stem cells or stem cell-like cells. Induction of callus and its growth parameters were significantly affected both by the explant type and the combination of used plant growth hormones and regulators. The responsibility for callus initiation and growth was the highest in stem-derived explants containing cambial meristematic cells. Growth parameters of callus biomass and specific characteristics of vacuoles confirmed the presence of stem cells or stem cell-like cells in sub-cultivated callus cell biomass. Establishment of in vitro stem cell or stem cell-like cell cultures in S. hermaphrodita can lead to the development of various applications of in vitro cultivation systems as well as alternative applications of this crop. Full article

This study reported the inducing effect of Aspergillus flavus fungal elicitor on biosynthesis of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) in Catharanthus roseus cambial meristematic cells (CMCs) and its inducing mechanism. According to the results determined by HPLC and HPLC-MS/MS, the optimal condition of the A. flavus elicitor was as follows: after suspension culture of C. roseus CMCs for 6 day, 25 mg/L A. flavus mycelium elicitor were added, and the CMC suspensions were further cultured for another 48 h. In this condition, the contents of vindoline, catharanthine, and ajmaline were 1.45-, 3.29-, and 2.14-times as high as those of the control group, respectively. Transcriptome analysis showed that D4H, G10H, GES, IRS, LAMT, SGD, STR, TDC, and ORCA3 were involved in the regulation of this induction process. The results of qRT-PCR indicated that the increasing accumulations of vindoline, catharanthine, and ajmaline in C. roseus CMCs were correlated with the increasing expression of the above genes. Therefore, A. flavus fungal elicitor could enhance the TIA production of C. roseus CMCs, which might be used as an alternative biotechnological resource for obtaining bioactive alkaloids. Full article