Phytoalexin production by Ononis species

Following exposure to short wavelength (254 nm) ultra-violet light, the detached leaflets of Passaea (Ononis) ornithopodioides and 31 species and subspecies of Ononis have been found to accumulate substantial quantities of the isoflavonoid (pterocarpan) phytoalexin, medicarpin. Apart from P. (Ononis) ornithopodioides, O. cristata, O. fruticosa, O. pubescens and O. rotundifolia, leaf tissues of all the species investigated similarly contained small amounts of the related fungitoxic pterocarpan, maackiain. Isoflavan phytoalexins common in genera such as Medicago and Trifolium (tribe Trifolieae) were absent from both Ononis and Passaea. The phytoalexin data suggest that Passaea should probably be combined with Ononis and, in conjunction with information on constitutive isoflavonoids, that Ononis itself should be assigned to the Trifolieae rather than to the distinct tribe Ononideae. Chemical evidence for and against an especially close taxonomic association between Ononis and Cicer (tribe Cicereae) is also briefly discussed.     

Ozone injury in soybeans: isoflavonoid accumulation is related to necrosis

Fumigation of soybean leaves (Glycine max [L.] Merr. with ozone caused stippling and silvering at the same time that large accumulations of the isoflavonoid compounds daidzein, coumestrol, and sojagol occurred. Nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide caused lesser accumulation of the isoflavonoids, and peroxyacetyl nitrate did not result in significant accumulation. Visible toxicity and chemical changes in ozone-fumigated leaves were similar to the hypersensitive disease defense reaction of soybean leaves to the pathogen Pseudomonas glycinea, except that the phytoalexin hydroxyphaseollin was not produced in the ozone-treated leaves.     

New isoflavonoids related to kievitone from Phaseolus vulgaris

The new isoflavonoids 5,7,2′,4′-tetrahydroxy-8-(3,3-dimethylallyl)isoflavone (2,3-dehydrokievitone) and 7,2′,4′-trihydroxy-8-(3,3-dimethylallyl)isoflavanone (5-deoxykievitone) have been isolated from fungus-inoculated Phaseolus vulgaris pod tissue and from the inoculation droplets. A third isoflavonoid was tentatively identified as 1″,2″-dehydrocyclokievitone and appears to be a metabolite of the phytoalexin kievitone.     

Antifungal activity of pterocarpans and other selected isoflavonoids

Six pterocarpans and 11 structurally related isoflavonoids were tested for antifungal activity against Fusarium solani f. sp. cucurbitae and Aphanomyces euteiches. Representatives from the pterocarpan, isoflavan, and 6a, 11a-dehydropterocarpan classes of isoflavonoids were found that were antifungal. The activity of the antifungal isoflavonoids does not appear to be dependent on a common 3-dimensional shape.     

The phytoalexin camalexin induces fundamental changes in the proteome of Alternaria brassicicola different from those caused by brassinin

Camalexin is the major phytoalexin produced by Alternaria thaliana, but is absent in Brassica species that usually produce phytoalexin blends containing brassinin and derivatives. The protein profiles of A. brassicicola treated with camalexin were evaluated using proteomics and metabolic analyses and compared with those treated with brassinin. Conidial germination and mycelial growth of A. brassicicola in liquid media amended with camalexin and brassinin showed that fungal growth was substantially slower in presence of camalexin than brassinin; chemical analyses revealed that A. brassicicola detoxified camalexin at much slower rate than brassinin. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) followed by tryptic digestion and capillary liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric analyses identified 158 different proteins, of which 45 were up-regulated and 113 were down-regulated relative to controls. Venn diagram analyses of differentially expressed proteins in cultures of A. brassicicola incubated with camalexin and brassinin indicated clear differences in the effect of each phytoalexin, with camalexin causing down-regulation of a larger number of proteins than brassinin. Overall, results of this work suggest that each phytoalexin has several different targets in the cells of A. brassicicola, and that camalexin appears to have greater potential to protect cultivated Brassica species against A. brassicicola than brassinin.     

Role of oxygenases in pisatin biosynthesis and in the fungal degradation of maackiain

Some isolates of the plant pathogen Nectria haematococca detoxify the isoflavonoid phytoalexin (−)maackiain by hydroxylation at carbon 6a. Precursor feeding studies strongly suggest that the penultimate step in (+)pisatin biosynthesis by Pisum sativum is 6a-hydroxylation of (+)maackiain. We have used ¹⁸O labeling to test the involvement of oxygenases in these two reactions. When fungal metabolism of maackiain took place under ¹⁸O₂, the product was labeled with 99% efficiency; no label was incorporated by metabolism in H₂¹⁸O. Pisatin synthesized by pea pods in the presence of ¹⁸O₂ or H₂¹⁸O was a mixture of molecules containing up to three labeled oxygen atoms. Primary mass spectra of such mixtures were complex but were greatly simplified by tandem MS. This analysis indicated that the 6a oxygen of pisatin was derived from H₂O and not from O₂. Labeling patterns for the other five oxygen atoms were consistent with the proposed pathway for biosynthesis of pisatin and related isoflavonoids. We conclude that the fungal hydroxylation of maackiain is catalyzed by an oxygenase, but the biosynthetic route to the 6a hydroxyl of pisatin is unknown.     

Host-Pathogen Interactions : XVIII. ISOLATION AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF GLYCINOL, A PTEROCARPAN PHYTOALEXIN SYNTHESIZED BY SOYBEANS

A previously unrecognized phytoalexin has been isolated from soybean cotyledons that had been infected with bacteria or exposed to ultraviolet light. The phytoalexin has been purified to homogeneity by silica gel flash chromatography and high pressure liquid chromatography. It has been structurally characterized by its ultraviolet, circular dichroism and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, polarimetry, and its mass spectrometric fragmentation pattern. The phytoalexin, (6aS,11aS)-3,6a,9-trihydroxypterocarpan, is a compound that had previously been detected in CuCl₂-treated soybeans and is structurally related to the previously identified soybean phytoalexins glycerollins I to IV. It is proposed that the trivial name glycinol be used for this phytoalexin. Glycinol is a broad spectrum antibiotic capable of prolonging the lag phase of growth of all six bacteria examined, namely Erwinia carotovora, Pseudomonas glycinea (races 1 and 3), Escherichia coli, Xanthomonas phaseoli, and Bacillus subtilis. Glycinol also inhibits the growth of the fungi Phytophthora megasperma f. sp. glycinea (race 1), Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Cladosporium cucumerinum. Glycinol is a static agent against the six bacterial species listed above and against S. cerevisiae, and appears to be static against the other fungi examined. As with other phytoalexins, there is no correlation between the pathogenicity of a microorganism and its sensitivity to glycinol.     

Stress Responses in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) : V. Constitutive and Elicitor-Induced Accumulation of Isoflavonoid Conjugates in Cell Suspension Cultures

The isoflavonoid conjugates medicarpin-3-O-glucoside-6″-O-malonate (MGM), afrormosin-7-O-glucoside (AG), and afrormosin-7-O-glucoside-6″-O-malonate (AGM) were isolated and characterized from cell suspension cultures of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), where they were the major constitutive secondary metabolites. They were also found in alfalfa roots but not in other parts of the plant. The phytoalexin medicarpin accumulated rapidly in suspension cultured cells treated with elicitor from Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, and this was subsequently accompanied by an increase in the levels of MGM. In contrast, net accumulation of afrormosin conjugates was not affected by elicitor treatment. Labeling studies with [¹⁴C]phenylalanine indicated that afrormosin conjugates were the major de novo synthesized isoflavonoid products in unelicited cells. During elicitation, [¹⁴C]phenylalanine was incorporated predominantly into medicarpin, although a significant proportion of the newly synthesized medicarpin was also conjugated. Treatment of ¹⁴C-labeled, elicited cells with l-α-aminooxy-β-phenylpropionic acid, a potent inhibitor of PAL activity in vivo, resulted in the initial appearance of labeled medicarpin of very low specific activity, suggesting that the phytoalexin could be released from a preformed conjugate under these conditions. Our data draw attention to the involvement of isoflavone hydroxylases during the constitutive and elicitor-induced accumulation of isoflavonoids and their conjugates in alfalfa cell cultures.     

Elicitor-Induced Association of Isoflavone O-Methyltransferase with Endomembranes Prevents the Formation and 7-O-Methylation of Daidzein during Isoflavonoid Phytoalexin Biosynthesis

The bioactive isoflavonoids of the Leguminosae often are methylated on the 4'-position of their B-rings. Paradoxically, reverse genetic evidence implicates alfalfa isoflavone O-methyltransferase (IOMT) in the biosynthesis of 4'-O-methylated isoflavonoids such as the phytoalexin medicarpin in vivo, whereas biochemical studies indicate that IOMT has strict specificity for methylation of the A-ring 7-hydroxyl of daidzein, the presumed substrate for O-methylation, in vitro. Radiolabeling and isotope dilution studies now confirm that daidzein is not an intermediate in isoflavonoid phytoalexin biosynthesis in alfalfa. Furthermore, protein gel blot analysis and confocal microscopy of a transiently expressed IOMT-green fluorescent protein fusion in alfalfa leaves show that the operationally soluble IOMT localizes to endomembranes after elicitation of the isoflavonoid pathway. We propose that IOMT colocalizes with the endoplasmic reticulum-associated isoflavone synthase cytochrome P450 to ensure rapid B-ring methylation of the unstable 2,4',7-trihydroxyisoflavanone product of isoflavone synthase, thereby preventing its dehydration to daidzein and subsequent A-ring methylation by free IOMT. In this way, metabolic channeling at the entry point into isoflavonoid phytoalexin biosynthesis protects an unstable intermediate from an unproductive metabolic conversion.     

Differential patterns of phytoalexin accumulation and enzyme induction in wounded and elicitor-treated tissues ofPhaseolus vulgaris

In wounded cotyledons ofPhaseolus vulgaris L. the accumulation of the 5-hydroxy isoflavonoids kievitone and 2-hydroxygenistein precedes the major increases in the levels of the 5-deoxy compounds phaseollin and coumestrol. Increased phytoalexin levels are preceded by transient increases in the extractable activities of L-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (EC 4.3.1.5.), chalcone synthase and chalcone isomerase (EC 5.5.1.6.). Accumulation of phytoalexins, above wounded control levels, is observed following treatment of excised cotyledons or hypocotyls with crude or fractionated elicitor preparations heat-released from the cell walls ofColletotrichum lindemuthianum. Chalcone synthase levels are also induced in cotyledons, although crude elicitor and all fractions suppress L-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity in both tissues. Kievitone is the major phytoalexin induced in cotyledons, whereas in hypocotyls phaseollin predominates. Patterns of phytoalexin accumulation have been studied in response to varying concentrations of the crude and fractionated elicitor; 5-hydroxy isoflavonoid accumulation is highly dependent upon elicitor concentration, the dose-response curves for kievitone accumulation showing maxima at around 1 g glucose equivalents per cotyledon, minima at 2–3 g equivalents and increasing induction at higher concentrations. Similar patterns are observed for L-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and chalcone synthase levels, although the overall extent of these changes is masked by the high wound response. Accumulation of 5-deoxy isoflavonoids above control levels requires high elicitor concentrations; no experimental conditions were found under which phaseollin accumulated to higher levels than kievitone in cotyledons during the first 48 h after elicitation.Abbreviations CHS chalcone synthase - PAL L-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase     

The phytopathogenic fungus Alternaria brassicicola: Phytotoxin production and phytoalexin elicitation

The metabolites and phytotoxins produced by the phytopathogenic fungus Alternaria brassicicola (Schwein.) Wiltshire, as well as the phytoalexins induced in host plants, were investigated. Brassicicolin A emerged as the most selective phytotoxic metabolite produced in liquid cultures of A. brassicicola and spirobrassinin as the major phytoalexin produced in infected leaves of Brassica juncea (whole plants). In detached infected leaves of B. juncea, the main component was N′-acetyl-3-indolylmethanamine, the product of detoxification of the phytoalexin brassinin by A. brassicicola. In addition, the structure elucidation of three hitherto unknown metabolites having a fusicoccane skeleton was carried out and the antifungal activity of several plant defenses against A. brassicicola was determined.     

An Isoflavonoid-Inducible Efflux Pump in Agrobacterium tumefaciens Is Involved in Competitive Colonization of Roots

Agrobacterium tumefaciens 1D1609, which was originally isolated from alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), contains genes that increase competitive root colonization on that plant by reducing the accumulation of alfalfa isoflavonoids in the bacterial cells. Mutant strain I-1 was isolated by its isoflavonoid-inducible neomycin resistance following mutagenesis with the transposable promoter probe Tn5-B30. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed the transposon had inserted in the first open reading frame, ifeA, of a three-gene locus (ifeA, ifeB, and ifeR), which shows high homology to bacterial efflux pump operons. Assays on alfalfa showed that mutant strain I-1 colonized roots normally in single-strain tests but was impaired significantly (P ≤ 0.01) in competition against wild-type strain 1D1609. Site-directed mutagenesis experiments, which produced strains I-4 (ifeA::gusA) and I-6 (ifeA::Ω-Tc), confirmed the importance of ifeA for competitive root colonization. Exposure to the isoflavonoid coumestrol increased β-glucuronidase activity in strain I-4 21-fold during the period when coumestrol accumulation in wild-type cells declined. In the same test, coumestrol accumulation in mutant strain I-6 did not decline. Expression of the ifeA-gusA reporter was also induced by the alfalfa root isoflavonoids formononetin and medicarpin but not by two triterpenoids present in alfalfa. These results show that an efflux pump can confer measurable ecological benefits on A. tumefaciens in an environment where the inducing molecules are known to be present.     

A structure–activity relationship study of flavonoids as inhibitors of E. coli by membrane interaction effect

Flavonoids exhibit a broad range of biological activities including antibacterial activity. However, the mechanism of their antibacterial activity has not been fully investigated. The antibacterial activity and membrane interaction of 11 flavonoids (including 2 polymethoxyflavones and 4 isoflavonoids) against Escherichia coli were examined in this study. The antibacterial capacity was determined as flavonoids > polymethoxyflavones > isoflavonoids. Using fluorescence, it was observed that the 5 flavonoids rigidified the liposomal membrane, while the polymethoxyflavones and isoflavonoids increased membrane fluidity. There was a significant positive correlation between antibacterial capacity and membrane rigidification effect of the flavonoids. A quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) study demonstrated that the activity of the flavonoid compounds can be related to molecular hydrophobicity (CLogP) and charges on C atom at position3 (C3). The QSAR model could be used to predict the antibacterial activity of flavonoids which could lead to natural compounds having important use in food and medical industry.     

Formation of biphenyl and dibenzofuran phytoalexins in the transition zones of fire blight-infected stems of Malus domestica cv. ‘Holsteiner Cox’ and Pyrus communis cv. ‘Conference’

In the rosaceous subtribe Pyrinae (formerly subfamily Maloideae), pathogen attack leads to formation of biphenyls and dibenzofurans. Accumulation of these phytoalexins was studied in greenhouse-grown grafted shoots of Malus domestica cv. ‘Holsteiner Cox’ and Pyrus communis cv. ‘Conference’ after inoculation with the fire blight bacterium, Erwinia amylovora. No phytoalexins were found in leaves. However, both classes of defence compounds were detected in the transition zone of stems. The flanking stem segments above and below this zone, which were necrotic and healthy, respectively, were devoid of detectable phytoalexins. The transition zone of apple stems contained the biphenyls 3-hydroxy-5-methoxyaucuparin, aucuparin, noraucuparin and 2′-hydroxyaucuparin and the dibenzofurans eriobofuran and noreriobofuran. In pear, aucuparin, 2′-hydroxyaucuparin, noreriobofuran and in addition 3,4,5-trimethoxybiphenyl were detected. The total phytoalexin content in the transition zone of pear was 25 times lower than that in apple. Leaves and stems of mock-inoculated apple and pear shoots lacked phytoalexins. A number of biphenyls and dibenzofurans were tested for their in vitro antibacterial activity against some Erwinia amylovora strains. The most efficient compound was 3,5-dihydroxybiphenyl (MIC = 115 μg/ml), the immediate product of biphenyl synthase which initiates phytoalexin biosynthesis.     

Development of a radioimmunoassay for the soybean phytoalexin glyceollin I

A radioimmunoassay for glyceollin I, the major phytoalexin produced by soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.), has been developed. Antibodies were raised in rabbits against a glyceollin I-bovine serum albumin conjugate. The antisera were used to establish a radioimmunoassay for glyceollin I using [¹²⁵I]glyceollin I as the tracer. A logit plot of a standard concentration series yielded a straight line in the range of 1 to 100 picomoles (0.34-34 nanograms) of glyceollin I. The structurally related pterocarpan phytoalexins, glyceollins II and III, glyceollidin II and glycinol, which also accumulate in infected soybean tissue, show a low cross-reactivity in the radioimmunoassay (0.5-5% at 50% displacement of the tracer). Two related isoflavones present constitutively in soybean tissue, daidzein and genistein, have cross-reactivities of less than 0.84% and 1.1%, respectively. The radioimmunoassay permitted the quantitative determination of glyceollin I in 15-micrometer microtome sections of soybean hypocotyl tissue infected with zoospores of Phytophthora megasperma f. sp. glycinea.     

Chemotaxis and nod Gene Activity of Bradyrhizobium japonicum in Response to Hydroxycinnamic Acids and Isoflavonoids

For Bradyrhizobium japonicum, the chemotactic and the nod gene-inducing effects of hydroxycinnamic acids and two of their derivatives were compared with those of isoflavonoids. Only the hydroxycinnamic acids were strong chemoattractants, while the other substances tested were chemotactically inactive. Besides the known nod gene induction by isoflavonoids, a weak nod gene induction by coniferyl alcohol, chlorogenic acid, and ferulic acid was found.     

Phytoalexin Accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana during the Hypersensitive Reaction to Pseudomonas syringae pv syringae

Inoculation of leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. with the wheat pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv syringae, resulted in the expression of the hypersensitive reaction and in phytoalexin accumulation. No phytoalexin accumulation was detected after infiltration of leaves with a mutant of P. s. syringae deficient in the ability to elicit a hypersensitive reaction; with the crucifer pathogen, Xanthomonas campestris pv campestris; or with 10 millimolar potassium phosphate buffer (pH 6.9). Phytoalexin accumulation was correlated with the restricted in vivo growth of P. s. syringae. A phytoalexin was purified by a combination of reverse phase flash chromatography, thin layer chromatography, followed by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. The Arabidopsis phytoalexin was identified as 3-thiazol-2′-yl-indole on the basis of ultraviolet, infrared, mass spectral, ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance, and ¹³C-nuclear magnetic resonance data.     

Desert legume Prosopis cineraria as a novel source of antioxidant flavonoids / isoflavonoids: Biochemical characterization of edible pods for potential functional food development

Flavonoids and isoflavonoids in foods are attracting attention as they are significant antioxidant and phytoestrogenic compounds that are beneficial for human health. In this study, the edible pods of the underutilized desert legume Prosopis cineraria from Rajasthan, India were used to extract flavonoids. The pods from semi-arid zone showed the highest flavonoid content (432 mg Rutin hydrate/gm). UV spectrophotometric analysis was also done to characterize flavonoids. The flavonoids and isoflavonoids were further purified from semi-arid zone plants using column chromatography with Amberlite XAD7HP and Sephadex LH-20. LC-MS analysis revealed the presence of medicinally valuable antioxidant flavonoids and isoflavonoids in the pods, viz. vitexin, puerarin, phloridzin, and daidzein. It was seen that the flavonoids/isoflavonoids are present in the selected legume in different forms i.e. pure aglycone, C-glycoside as well as O-glycoside. This finding makes P. cineraria an attractive source candidate for extraction of these nutraceuticals with a potential for development into functional food.