甜菜素的生物合成及其代谢调控进展

甜菜素是一种植物源的水溶性天然含氮色素,用于食品添加剂和化妆品等行业中。在植物中甜菜素和花青素色素互不共存,其代谢途径是重要的植物化学分类指标。甜菜素兼具抗氧化、抗肿瘤、抗疟、保肝等药理作用,其潜在的医疗保健价值以及其代谢途径的独特性,促进了对甜菜素深入研究。综述了甜菜素合成途径中的关键酶和合成生物学策略生产甜菜素的国内外研究进展,为建立合成生物方法生产甜菜素提供参考。     

植物甜菜色素的研究进展

天然植物色素的存在使植物呈现出缤纷的色彩。甜菜色素是四大类天然植物色素之一,主要存在于石竹目某些科属植物中,使植物呈现出红色至黄色的多种色彩。作为一种重要的次生代谢产物,甜菜色素在植物中不仅起呈色的作用,同时也是一种重要的渗透调节物质,在植物适应逆境的过程中发挥着重要作用。在实际应用中,甜菜色素既可作为食品、药品的着色剂,同时因其良好的抗氧化能力,还具有一定的药用功效。从甜菜色素的理化性质、生物合成、提取工艺、应用前景等方面对其研究进展进行了综述。     

植物花瓣呈色机理及花色分子育种

植物花瓣呈色的主要化学物质包括类黄酮/花青素苷、类胡萝卜素和甜菜色素。其中类黄酮/花青素苷是分布最广泛的色素,决定大多数植物花瓣的呈色;类胡萝卜素在一些植物黄色至橙红色花瓣中起着作用;而甜菜色素主要存在于石竹目植物,包含甜菜红素和甜菜黄素。目前,关于色素生物合成的分子网络已被解析,主要由一系列结构基因控制;一些与色素合成相关的调控因子在很多植物中被鉴定发现。另外,基于外源基因表达或内源基因编辑的分子育种在一些观赏植物的花色改良中被成功应用。本文系统性总结了植物中3种类型色素合成的分子基础、调控机制及分子育种应用等方面的研究进展;将有助于提高我们对植物色素合成分子调控网络的认识,并以期为今后开展花色分子设计育种提供理论支持。     

三萜皂苷生物合成途径研究进展

三萜皂苷是一类重要的植物次生代谢产物,在体外具有抗癌、抗病毒、降低胆固醇等药理学作用。由于三萜皂苷生物合成途径中的关键酶在细胞中的表达水平较低,决定了其在植物中的含量低,因而对其生物合成途径的探讨具有重要的现实意义和应用价值。     

植物花青素合成代谢途径及其分子调控

植物花青素是一种天然食用色素,具有安全、无毒的特点,具有预防心脑血管疾病、保护肝脏与抗癌等多种重要的营养和药理功能。因此,花青素在食品、医药保健、园艺和作物改良等方面均具有重要研究价值和应用潜力。该文综述了植物花青素合成代谢途径及其分子调控研究进展,概述了植物花青素的生物合成、代谢以及积累过程,重点介绍了影响植物花青素代谢的结构基因和调控基因及其作用机制,同时展望了花青素合成代谢相关基因的研究应用前景和发展趋势。     

三角梅属植物的生物学研究进展

三角梅属(Bougainvil lea)属于紫茉莉科(Nyctaginaceae), 有14个种。该文综述了三角梅属植物的生物学特性, 展望了该属植物在增进人类健康、丰富精神生活以及保护环境等方面的应用前景。三角梅属植物因其苞片的形态色彩以及植株形态的变化而具有独特的观赏价值。三角梅属植物不仅作为花卉备受关注, 近年来, 有关三角梅其它应用价值的研究使人们对其有了新的认识。从三角梅叶片中分离得到具有类胰岛素功能的松醇(D-pini tol )对替代胰岛素治疗糖尿病以及减轻胰岛素疗法带来的副作用具有重要意义。研究还表明, 三角梅叶片和根中至少含有2种抗病毒蛋白——BAPI和 Bouganin, 它们对于多种植物病毒具有不同程度的抑制作用。这些研究结果对于开发低毒高效的生物农药具有十分积极的意义。三角梅还是研究甜菜色素代谢的重要模式植物之一, 其甜菜色素的种类和含量之丰富为开发安全的天然食用色素开辟了广阔的前景。这些相关研究展示了三角梅作为资源植物的多元价值, 为进一步开发三角梅的观赏、医药、生物农药价值和作为天然食用色素以及发挥环境修复作用提供了充分的科学依据。     

三角梅属植物的生物学研究进展

三角梅属（Bougainvillea）属于紫茉莉科（Nyctaginaceae）,有14个种。该文综述了三角梅属植物的生物学特性,展望了该属植物在增进人类健康、丰富精神生活以及保护环境等方面的应用前景。三角梅属植物因其苞片的形态色彩以及植株形态的变化而具有独特的观赏价值。三角梅属植物不仅作为花卉备受关注,近年来,有关三角梅其它应用价值的研究使人们对其有了新的认识。从三角梅叶片中分离得到具有类胰岛素功能的松醇（D-pinitol）对替代胰岛素治疗糖尿病以及减轻胰岛素疗法带来的副作用具有重要意义。研究还表明,三角梅叶片和根中至少含有2种抗病毒蛋白——BAPI和Bouganin,它们对于多种植物病毒具有不同程度的抑制作用。这些研究结果对于开发低毒高效的生物农药具有十分积极的意义。三角梅还是研究甜菜色素代谢的重要模式植物之一,其甜菜色素的种类和含量之丰富为开发安全的天然食用色素开辟了广阔的前景。这些相关研究展示了三角梅作为资源植物的多元价值,为进一步开发三角梅的观赏、医药、生物农药价值和作为天然食用色素以及发挥环境修复作用提供了充分的科学依据。     

植物花青素生物合成相关基因的研究及应用

花青素是决定植物花色的主要色素,使大多数花呈现从红到蓝的系列变化,是花色研究和开发的重点,并具有重要的营养和药用作用。目前花青素生物合成途径已日益清楚,并已分离到大量的相关酶和基因,并获得了一批具有商业价值的转基因植物新品种。本文重点介绍了花青素合成途径中关键基因的研究成果,并概述了国内外花青素基因在植物基因工程中的应用研究进展情况,同时对花青素基因的研究应用前景和发展趋势作一展望。     

植物甜菜素研究进展

植物花色素的研究已经非常广泛和深入, 但是甜菜素作为类似花色素的一种重要的植物次生代谢物质还不被人们所熟悉。为了增加人们对甜菜素的了解, 本文结合国内外研究的最新进展, 从种类与化学结构、提纯与鉴定、稳定性及影响因素、合成途径、生物功能和应用价值等方面对甜菜素进行了介绍, 重点比较分析了甜菜素和花色素结构和合成途径的不同与联系, 并对当前甜菜素研究的热点领域和亟待解决的问题进行了展望。     

植物甜菜素研究进展

植物花色素的研究已经非常广泛和深入,但是甜菜素作为类似花色素的一种重要的植物次生代谢物质还不被人们所熟悉。为了增加人们对甜菜素的了解,本文结合国内外研究的最新进展,从种类与化学结构、提纯与鉴定、稳定性及影响因素、合成途径、生物功能和应用价值等方面对甜菜素进行了介绍,重点比较分析了甜菜素和花色素结构和合成途径的不同与联系,并对当前甜菜素研究的热点领域和亟待解决的问题进行了展望。     

Effect of white and far-red light on betalain formation

Light-induced betalain synthesis has been studied in three species of Amaranthaceae. The results obtained suggest that the response to short-term irradiation with white light is mediated by phytochrome, while the effects of prolonged illumination are controlled by the photosynthetic system. Betalain accumulation stimulated by prolonged far-red irradiation is controlled chiefly by the photosynthetic system, the participation of phytochrome being of minor importance.     

Biochemical complementation of the betalain biosynthetic pathway in Portulaca grandiflora by a fungal 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine dioxygenase

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) dioxygenase from Amanitamuscaria catalyses the key reaction of betalain biosynthesis, namely the conversion of DOPA to betalamic acid by a 4,5-ring-opening reaction. In addition, it catalyses a 2,3 opening which yields the fungal pigment muscaflavin, a compound that has never been found in plants. In this work, a cDNA clone (DodA) encoding A. muscaria DOPA-dioxygenase was expressed in white Portulacagrandiflora petals, using the particle bombardment technique. Transformation resulted in the formation of yellow and violet spots that contained betalain pigments and muscaflavin, indicating that the fungal enzyme was expressed and active in plants, and could complement the plant betalain biosynthetic pathway. The presence of muscaflavin in transformed plants indicates a difference in the specificity of the plant and A.muscaria enzymes. Received: 24 February 1997 / Accepted: 20 May 1997     

Characterization and functional identification of a novel plant 4,5-extradiol dioxygenase involved in betalain pigment biosynthesis in Portulaca grandiflora

Betalains are pigments that replace anthocyanins in the majority of families of the plant order Caryophyllales. Betalamic acid is the common chromophore of betalains. The key enzyme of the betalain biosynthetic pathway is an extradiol dioxygenase that opens the cyclic ring of dihydroxy-phenylalanine (DOPA) between carbons 4 and 5, thus producing an unstable seco-DOPA that rearranges nonenzymatically to betalamic acid. A gene for a 4,5-DOPA-dioxygenase has already been isolated from the fungus Amanita muscaria, but no homolog was ever found in plants. To identify the plant gene, we constructed subtractive libraries between different colored phenotypes of isogenic lines of Portulaca grandiflora (Portulacaceae) and between different stages of flower bud formation. Using in silico analysis of differentially expressed cDNAs, we identified a candidate showing strong homology at the level of translated protein with the LigB domain present in several bacterial extradiol 4,5-dioxygenases. The gene was expressed only in colored flower petals. The function of this gene in the betalain biosynthetic pathway was confirmed by biolistic genetic complementation in white petals of P. grandiflora genotypes lacking the gene for color formation. This gene named DODA is the first characterized member of a novel family of plant dioxygenases phylogenetically distinct from Amanita sp. DOPA-dioxygenase. Homologs of DODA are present not only in betalain-producing plants but also, albeit with some changes near the catalytic site, in other angiosperms and in the bryophyte Physcomitrella patens. These homologs are part of a novel conserved plant gene family probably involved in aromatic compound metabolism.     

Lignin: Genetic Engineering and Impact on Pulping

Lignin is a major component of wood, the most widely used raw material for the production of pulp and paper. Although the biochemistry and molecular biology underpinning lignin production are better understood than they are for the other wood components, recent work has prompted a number of re-evaluations of the lignin biosynthetic pathway. Some of the work on which these revisions have been based involved the investigation of transgenic plants with modified lignin biosynthesis. In addition to their value in elucidating the lignin biosynthetic pathway, such transgenic plants are also being produced with the aim of improving plant raw materials for pulp and paper production. This review describes how genetic engineering has yielded new insights into how the lignin biosynthetic pathway operates and demonstrates that lignin can be improved to facilitate pulping. The current technologies used to produce paper are presented in this review, followed by a discussion of the impact of lignin modification on pulp production. Fine-tuned modification of lignin content, composition, or both is now achievable and could have important economic and environmental benefits.     

Lignin: genetic engineering and impact on pulping

Lignin is a major component of wood, the most widely used raw material for the production of pulp and paper. Although the biochemistry and molecular biology underpinning lignin production are better understood than they are for the other wood components, recent work has prompted a number of re-evaluations of the lignin biosynthetic pathway. Some of the work on which these revisions have been based involved the investigation of transgenic plants with modified lignin biosynthesis. In addition to their value in elucidating the lignin biosynthetic pathway, such transgenic plants are also being produced with the aim of improving plant raw materials for pulp and paper production. This review describes how genetic engineering has yielded new insights into how the lignin biosynthetic pathway operates and demonstrates that lignin can be improved to facilitate pulping. The current technologies used to produce paper are presented in this review, followed by a discussion of the impact of lignin modification on pulp production. Fine-tuned modification of lignin content, composition, or both is now achievable and could have important economic and environmental benefits.     

人参皂苷等萜类化合物生物合成途径及HMGR的研究进展

人参皂苷是人参的主要有效成分之一,属典型的萜类化合物。本文对萜类生物合成途径及HMG-CoA还原酶进行了综述。人参皂苷等萜类生物合成分为甲羟戊酸和丙酮酸两种途径,两者都是以异戊烯基焦磷酸为主要的中间产物。大量研究资料表明HMG-CoA还原酶是甲羟戊酸途径的第一个限速关键酶,这对人参皂苷生物合成途径及其调控的深入研究具有一定的参考价值。     

Improving key enzyme activity in phenylpropanoid pathway with a designed biosensor

Overexpressing key enzymes of biosynthetic pathways for overproduction of value-added products usually imposes metabolic burdens on cells, which can be circumvented by improving the key enzyme activities. p-Coumarate: CoA ligase (4CL) is a critical enzyme in the phenylpropanoid pathway that synthesizes various natural products. To screen for 4CL with improved activity, a biosensor of resveratrol whose biosynthetic pathway involves 4CL was designed by engineering the TtgR regulatory protein. The biosensor exhibited good specificity and robustness, allowing rapid and sensitive selection of resveratrol hyper-producers. A 4CL variant with improved activity was selected from a 4CL mutagenesis library constructed in the resveratrol biosynthetic pathway in Escherichia coli. This mutant led to increased production of not only resveratrol but also the flavonoid naringenin, when introduced in their corresponding biosynthetic pathways. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of improving key enzyme activities in important biosynthetic pathways with the aid of designed biosensors of pathway products.