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Specialized Metabolites in Root cultures

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2022) | Viewed by 13477

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Anna Szakiel

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Department of Plant Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 1 Miecznikowa Str., 02-096 Warszawa, Poland
Interests: triterpenoids; steroids; plant primary and specialized metabolism; plant in vitro cultures; elicitation; bioactive natural products; occurrence of triterpenoids in edible and medicinal plants; plant chemical defense
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Dr. Marek Długosz

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Department of Plant Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 1 Miecznikowa Str., 02-096 Warszawa, Poland
Interests: plant in vitro cultures; hairy roots; triterpenoids; phytosterols; saponins; elicitation; permeabilization; rhizosecretion; plant-microbe interactions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The use of plant in vitro cultures, particularly including root cultures, for the production of secondary (specialized) metabolites is an attractive biotechnological alternative to natural plant sources of these compounds. Nevertheless, the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in root cultures is often significantly modified or even partially inhibited in comparison to native parent plants. Various techniques for the stimulation of the biosynthesis of these compounds (e.g., elicitation, media optimization, precursor feeding, the overexpression of genes involved in the biosynthetic pathway, genetic modifications, and metabolic engineering) can be applied to enhance their production. This Special Issue, which welcomes original research papers, reviews, perspectives, and opinions, aims to cover a wide spectrum of aspects concerning the biosynthesis of plant secondary compounds in root cultures.

Prof. Dr. Anna Szakiel
Dr. Marek Długosz
Guest Editors

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 submissions that pass pre-check are 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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

secondary metabolism

root cultures

elicitation

metabolic engineering

precursor feeding

Published Papers (5 papers)

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18 pages, 2741 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Metabolic Modifications in Terpenoid and Steroid Pathways Triggered by Methyl Jasmonate in Taxus × media Hairy Roots

by Katarzyna Sykłowska-Baranek, Monika Kamińska, Cezary Pączkowski, Agnieszka Pietrosiuk and Anna Szakiel

Plants 2022, 11(9), 1120; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11091120 - 20 Apr 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1950

Abstract

The in vitro cultures of Taxus spp. were one of the first plant in vitro systems proved to exert the positive effect of elicitation with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites. The main aim of the present study is to examine the effect of MeJA treatment on the steroid and triterpenoid content of two genetically different hairy root lines of Taxus × media, KT and ATMA. The results revealed that the two lines differed in the total content of steroids and triterpenoids (in the ATMA root line, their amounts were lower than those in the KT line by 43% and 30%, respectively), but not in the composition of these compounds. The metabolic response to elicitation with MeJA was different: in the KT root line, the content of steroids decreased by 18%, whereas it increased by 38% in the ATMA line. Several metabolic features were common, including the characteristic changes in the ratio of sitosterol to stigmasterol content, caused by the very sharp boost in stigmasterol levels, the increase in the amount of glycoside forms of sterols, as well as in triterpenoid and total phenolic content. It is the first report on modifications of the terpenoid biosynthetic pathway in Taxus hairy root cultures triggered by MeJA, concerning steroids and triterpenoids. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Specialized Metabolites in Root cultures)

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12 pages, 1418 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Ethylene and Abscisic Acid on Steroid and Triterpenoid Synthesis in Calendula officinalis Hairy Roots and Saponin Release to the Culture Medium

by Michał Markowski, Abdulwadood Shakir Mahmood Alsoufi, Anna Szakiel and Marek Długosz

Plants 2022, 11(3), 303; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11030303 - 24 Jan 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2541

Abstract

Phytohormones (plant growth regulators) can be applied as efficient elicitors to enhance the productivity of plant in vitro cultures, due to their significance in regulating the plant metabolism and strong influence on plant defense responses. In the present study, the effects of exogenous ethylene (ETY, applied in the form of ethephon as an ethylene-generating agent) and abscisic acid (ABA) on the synthesis of triterpenoids and steroids in Calendula officinalis hairy roots were investigated. ABA appeared to be an efficient elicitor of the biosynthesis of triterpenoid oleanolic acid (almost two-fold) and the release of its glycosides (saponins) to the culture medium (up to 6.6-fold). ETY had only a slight effect on triterpenoid metabolism; instead, it strongly influenced steroid metabolism, leading to profound modifications of the quantitative profiles of these compounds, particularly the ratio of stigmasterol to sitosterol. Both the applied phytohormones influenced the interplay between steroid and triterpenoid biosynthetic pathways, revealing the symptoms of their competition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Specialized Metabolites in Root cultures)

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13 pages, 3086 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Production and Secretion of Isowighteone in Hairy Root Cultures of Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan) Co-Treated with Multiple Elicitors

by Gaurav Gajurel, Luis Nopo-Olazabal, Emily Hendrix and Fabricio Medina-Bolivar

Plants 2022, 11(6), 834; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11060834 - 21 Mar 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4168 | Correction

Abstract

Isowighteone (3’-isoprenyl genistein) is a prenylated flavonoid derivative that exhibits antibacterial, pro-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory properties. To establish a bioproduction system for this bioactive compound, hairy root cultures of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) were developed via Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation. The cultures were co-treated with methyl jasmonate, cyclodextrin, hydrogen peroxide, and magnesium chloride to enhance the production of isowighteone. The amount of isowighteone that accumulated in the culture medium upon elicitation varied with the period of elicitation. Isowighteone was purified from extracts of the culture medium by semi-preparative HPLC, and its identity was confirmed by tandem mass spectrometry. After 144 h of elicitation in 12-day-old hairy root culture, the total yield of isowighteone was 8058.618 ± 445.78 μg/g DW, of which approximately 96% was found in the culture medium. The yield of isowighteone in the elicited hairy root culture was approximately 277-fold higher than in the non-elicited root culture. The difference between the phenotypes of the elicited and non-elicited pigeon pea hairy roots was studied using scanning electron microscopy. The non-elicited hairy roots had uniform surfaces whereas the elicited roots had non-uniform shapes. Pigeon pea hairy roots provide a sustainable platform for producing and studying the biosynthesis of isowighteone. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Specialized Metabolites in Root cultures)

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19 pages, 2333 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Enhancement of Phytosterol and Triterpenoid Production in Plant Hairy Root Cultures—Simultaneous Stimulation or Competition?

by Agata Rogowska and Anna Szakiel

Plants 2021, 10(10), 2028; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10102028 - 27 Sep 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2973

Abstract

Plant in vitro cultures, including hairy roots, can be applied for controlled production of valuable natural products, such as triterpenoids and sterols. These compounds originate from the common precursor squalene. Sterols and triterpenoids distinctly differ in their functions, and the 2,3-oxidosqualene cyclization step is often regarded as a branch point between primary and secondary (more aptly: general and specialized) metabolism. Considering the crucial role of phytosterols as membrane constituents, it has been postulated that unconstrained biosynthesis of triterpenoids can occur when sterol formation is already satisfied, and these compounds are no longer needed for cell growth and division. This hypothesis seems to follow directly the growth-defense trade-off plant dilemma. In this review, we present some examples illustrating the specific interplay between the two divergent pathways for sterol and triterpenoid biosynthesis appearing in root cultures. These studies were significant for revealing the steps of the biosynthetic pathway, understanding the role of particular enzymes, and discovering the possibility of gene regulation. Currently, hairy roots of many plant species can be considered not only as an efficient tool for production of phytochemicals, but also as suitable experimental models for investigations on regulatory mechanisms of plant metabolism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Specialized Metabolites in Root cultures)

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