The effect of ajmalicine spiking and resin addition timing on the production of indole alkaloids from Catharanthus roseus cell cultures

The potential for the feedback inhibition of indole alkaloid synthesis was investigated by spiking suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus with 0, 9, or 18 mg/L ajmalicine on day 0. The production of ajmalicine, catharanthine, and serpentine were inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition was transient as the exogenous ajmalicine was ultimately either metabolized in the medium or within the cell. The addition of neutral resin has previously been shown to enhance ajmalicine production. To minimize product inhibition and product metabolism, Amberlite XAD-7 resin was added to immobilized cultures of C. roseus starting on either day 0, 5, or 15, and fresh resin was exchanged for spent resin every 5 days. The addition of resin did not decrease the viability of the culture. Growth was reduced only in cultures with resin added on day 0. Alkaloid production was enhanced to different extents by the timing of resin addition, suggesting that feedback inhibition or product metabolism was present throughout the culture period. Ajmalicine recovery was nearly 100% when the resin was added initially either on day 0 or day 5. Ajmalicine recovery was reduced to 55% when the resin was added later in the culture period starting on day 15, presumably because of resin saturation or the inaccessibility of alkaloids trapped in the vacuole. Delaying the addition of XAD-7 resin until 5 days after the start of the culture resulted in the highest improvement in ajmalicine production, i.e approximately 70% and also resulted in the complete recovery of ajmalicine from the cell.     

土壤不同水分条件对长春花(Catharanthus roseus)生活史型的影响

为了研究土壤中不同水分条件对长春花生活史型形成及生理代谢的影响,设置对照、轻度干旱、中度干旱和重度干旱等土壤水分梯度,对长春花(Catharanthus roseus(L.)G.Don)幼苗进行处理。对长春花形态指标进行聚类分析发现选择的20个聚类实体被分为2组,第1组为对照(CK)和轻度干旱(LD)处理的植株,第2组为中度干旱(MD)和重度干旱(HD)处理的植株。运用主成分分析(Principal component analysis,PCA)方法对不同土壤水分条件下长春花营养生长(Vegetative growth,V)、有性生殖(Sexual reproduction,S)和无性繁殖(Clone reproduction,C)等3类15种性状进行统计。结果显示,长春花在对照条件下生活史型为V0.39S0.54C0.07,轻度干旱为V0.36S0.50C0.14,中度干旱为V0.53S0.27C0.20,重度干旱为V0.45S0.09C0.46,干旱程度加强显著提高了无性繁殖的比重,降低了有性生殖的比例。同时,对长春花中文朵灵、长春质碱和脱水长春碱等生物碱的含量进行了动态测定,发现重度干旱下的文朵灵、长春质碱和脱水长春碱的含量在16d时分别是对照水平的1.5倍、2.3倍和3.1倍,表明干旱胁迫诱导生物碱积累,为长春花高效栽培提供了理论依据。     

Plackett-Burman Design与均匀设计法优化玫瑰色微球菌固定化脱氮的性能

【目的】采用Plackett-Burman Design (PBD)与均匀设计(Uniform Design, UD) 优化玫瑰色微球菌(Micrococcus roseus)固定化脱氮的条件,以提高其脱氮性能。【方法】选择聚乙烯醇(Polyvinyl alcohol,PVA)与海藻酸钠(Sodium alginate,SA)作为固定化细胞材料,研究其成球方式与性能,应用PBD对9个影响脱氮效果的因素进行显著性检验,筛选出PVA、SA、温度、菌液接种量、菌球量5个显著性因素(P<0.05)。采用UD对5个显著因素进行条件优化,优化数据通过Minitab与Matlab软件进行逐步回归分析,并建立二阶多项式模型。【结果】最优脱氮条件为PVA 9.6%、SA 2.2%、温度33.4 °C、菌液接种量8%、菌球量500个/100 mL,连续脱氮72 h,最高脱氮率达到60.9%。【结论】PBD与UD的联合使用能够在显著因子筛选与寻优中发挥重要的作用。连续脱氮试验表明,玫瑰色微球菌去除氨氮主要通过同化、硝化与反硝化途径。     

Localization of tabersonine 16-hydroxylase and 16-OH tabersonine-16-O-methyltransferase to leaf epidermal cells defines them as a major site of precursor biosynthesis in the vindoline pathway in Catharanthus roseus

The Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) produces the well known and remarkably complex anticancer dimeric alkaloids vinblastine and vincristine, which are derived by the coupling of vindoline and catharanthine monomers. Recent data from in situ RNA hybridization and immunolocalization suggest that combinatorial cell factories within the leaf are involved in vindoline biosynthesis. In this study, the cell types responsible for vindoline biosynthesis were identified by laser-capture microdissection/RNA isolation/RT-PCR to show that geraniol hydroxylase, secologanin synthase, tryptophan decarboxylase, strictosidine synthase, strictosidine ss-glucosidase and tabersonine 16-hydroxylase can be detected preferentially in epidermal cells. A new and complementary application of the carborundum abrasion (CA) technique was developed to obtain epidermis-enriched leaf extracts that can be used to measure alkaloid metabolite levels, enzyme activities and gene expression. The CA technique showed that tabersonine and 16-methoxytabersonine, together with 16-hydroxytabersonine-16-O-methyltransferase, are found predominantly in Catharanthus leaf epidermis, in contrast to vindoline, catharanthine and later enzymatic steps in vindoline biosynthesis. The results show that leaf epidermal cells are biosynthetically competent to produce tryptamine and secologanin precursors that are converted via many enzymatic transformations to make 16-methoxytabersonine. This alkaloid or its 2,3 dihydro-derivative is then transported to cells (mesophyll/idioblast/laticifer) within Catharanthus leaves to complete the last three or four enzymatic transformations to make vindoline.     

荧光定量PCR检测干旱胁迫下长春花Crlea基因的相对表达

首次从长春花中克隆了Crlea（Crlea for Catharanthus roseus late embryogenesis abundant）的全长基因,采用荧光定量PCR方法对干旱胁迫下长春花叶片和根部Crlea基因的表达模式进行监测,结果表明,在0.5～8 h的胁迫时间中,叶片和根部的Crlea基因表现出相似的积累模式。长春花Crlea基因的表达随着胁迫时间的延长而表达增强。在叶片中,在6 h和8 h的干旱处理后,Crlea基因表达显著提高,分别是未处理材料的9.984和20.431倍。在根部, 在8 h的处理后,Crlea基因的表达量显著提高（2.831倍于对照)。初步结果表明Crlea基因的表达没有组织特异性,并且为干旱胁迫正调控。     

Molecular cloning and expression of a cDNA encoding a hybrid histidine kinase receptor in tropical periwinkle Catharanthus roseus

Signalling pathways involving histidine kinase receptors (HKRs) are widely used by prokaryotes and fungi to regulate a large palette of biological processes. In plants, HKRs are known to be implicated in cytokinin, ethylene, and osmosensing transduction pathways. In this work, a full length cDNA named CRCIK was isolated from the tropical species CATHARANTHUS ROSEUS (L.) G. Don. It encodes a 1205 amino acid protein that belongs to the hybrid HKR family. The deduced amino acid sequence shows the highest homology with AtHK1, an osmosensing HKR in ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA. In return, CrCIK protein shares very low identity with the other 10 ARABIDOPSIS HKRs. Southern blot analysis indicates that the CRCIK corresponding gene is either present in multiple copies or has very close homologues in the genome of the tropical periwinkle. The gene is widely expressed in the plant. In C. ROSEUS C20D cell suspension, it is slightly induced after exposure to low temperature, pointing to a putative role in cold-shock signal transduction.     

Enhanced antioxidant formula based on a selenium-supplemented carotenoid-producing yeast biomass

Carotenoid-producing yeast species such as Rhodotorula glutinis and Sporobolomyces roseus efficiently accumulated selenium from the growth medium. It was observed that incorporation of selenium into yeast cells during the growth inhibited production of beta-carotenoid and other carotenoid precursors (torularhodin and torulene). The yeasts with high content of the carotenoid pigments and selenium may be used for the preparation of a new type of antioxidant formula that could be directly applied for various human and animal diets. We have demonstrated that such a formula can only be produced by separate processes of the cultivation of red yeasts and a subsequent sorption of selenium into the cells.     

Opium poppy and Madagascar periwinkle: model non-model systems to investigate alkaloid biosynthesis in plants

Alkaloids represent a large and diverse group of compounds that are related by the occurrence of a nitrogen atom within a heterocyclic backbone. Unlike other types of secondary metabolites, the various structural categories of alkaloids are unrelated in terms of biosynthesis and evolution. Although the biology of each group is unique, common patterns have become apparent. Opium poppy ( Papaver somniferum ), which produces several benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, and Madagascar periwinkle ( Catharanthus roseus ), which accumulates an array of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, have emerged as the premier organisms used to study plant alkaloid metabolism. The status of these species as model systems results from decades of research on the chemistry, enzymology and molecular biology responsible for the biosynthesis of valuable pharmaceutical alkaloids. Opium poppy remains the only commercial source for morphine, codeine and semi-synthetic analgesics, such as oxycodone, derived from thebaine. Catharanthus roseus is the only source for the anti-cancer drugs vinblastine and vincristine. Impressive collections of cDNAs encoding biosynthetic enzymes and regulatory proteins involved in the formation of benzylisoquinoline and monoterpenoid indole alkaloids are now available, and the rate of gene discovery has accelerated with the application of genomics. Such tools have allowed the establishment of models that describe the complex cell biology of alkaloid metabolism in these important medicinal plants. A suite of biotechnological resources, including genetic transformation protocols, has allowed the application of metabolic engineering to modify the alkaloid content of these and related species. An overview of recent progress on benzylisoquinoline and monoterpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis in opium poppy and C. roseus is presented.     

植物生长调节物质对长春花细胞中吲哚生物碱积累的影响

适当浓度的脱落酸(ABA)、乙烯利和乙酰水杨酸(ASA)均对长春花悬浮细胞中吲哚生物碱的积累有较明显的促进作用.2mg·L-1ABA对吲哚生物碱的诱导效果最好,乙烯利的最适剂量为1 g·L-1,1 mg·L-1ASA有利于阿玛碱积累,而2 mg·L-1ASA则有利于长春质碱积累.     

以掷孢酵母作为伴生菌产生VC前体KGA的研究

以掷孢酵母作为伴生菌与氧化葡萄糖酸杆菌组成新混菌体系,通过测定生长代谢曲线,对其产酸性能和特点进行了研究。结果表明：相同条件下,新菌系产酸能力高于现有菌系,酸量增加5-7mg/ml,发酵周期缩短6-8h,酸转化率提高3-4%,最高产酸点pH值下降约0.5个单位,表现出较大的产酸潜力和可修饰性。