Coordinate induction by UV light of stilbene synthase,phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and cinnamate 4-hydroxylase in leaves of vitaceae

A stilbene synthase catalyzing the formation of resveratrol from 4-hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA was found in the leaves of several Vitaceae. This stilbene synthase and two other enzymes functioning on the route from phenylalanine to stilbenes were induced concurrently upon irradiation of the leaves with UV light. With leaves of Cissus antarctica, an increase of stilbene synthase activity, more than hundred-fold, was observed with a maximum appearing 15 h after the induction with UV light.Abbreviations EDTA Na₂-ethylenediaminotetraacetate - Hepes 4-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid - Mes morpholinoethanesulfonic acid     

Induced osteoblast differentiation by amide derivatives of stilbene: The possible osteogenic agents

A series of amide derivatives of stilbene was synthesized and investigated for osteogenic activity. Out of sixteen, seven compounds viz 19c, 19g, 19i, 24b, 25a, 25c and 26a showed significant osteoblast differentiation within 1 pM–1 µM concentrations. Amongst all, 26a was identified as most active molecule which presented effective mineralization of osteoblasts and expression of mRNA of osteogenic marker gene such as BMP-2, ALP, and Runx-2 at 1 pM. In estrogen-deficient balb/c mice, 26a showed significant osteogenic activity at 5 mg-kg⁻¹ body weight dose. The protein expression study for estrogen receptors α and β (ER-α & ER-β) using mouse calvarial osteoblasts (MCOs) and molecular docking analyses showed preferential expression of ER-β by 26a indicating the possibility of ER-β mediated osteogenic activity of 26a.     

Enzymatic formation of long-chain polyketide pyrones by plant type III polyketide synthases

Recombinant chalcone synthase (CHS) from Scutellaria baicalensis and stilbene synthase (STS) from Arachis hypogaea accepted CoA esters of long-chain fatty acid (CHS up to the C12 ester, while STS up to the C14 ester) as a starter substrate, and carried out sequential condensations with malonyl-CoA, leading to formation of triketide and tetraketide alpha-pyrones. Interestingly, the C6, C8, and C10 esters were kinetically favored by the enzymes over the physiological starter substrate; the kcat/KM values were 1.2- to 1.9-fold higher than that of p-coumaroyl-CoA. The catalytic diversities of the enzymes provided further mechanistic insights into the type III PKS reactions, and suggested involvement of the CHS-superfamily enzymes in the biosynthesis of long-chain alkyl polyphenols such as urushiol and ginkgolic acid in plants.     

买麻藤科植物研究进展

买麻藤科植物是裸子植物中唯一的藤本植物,具有重要的理论研究和应用开发价值.全世界仅1属约40种,中国发现9种,分布于亚洲、非洲和南美洲的热带和亚热带地区;在理论研究方面,该科系统进化位置特殊,形态结构、化学成分和分子水平上的研究存在很大争议,仍没有解决其在裸子植物与被子植物间所处的进化位置;在应用研究方面,该科既是传统中药又富含芪类、生物碱和黄酮等活性成分,而且果实和叶片可食用;然而,在引种、驯化及培育方面研究薄弱,阻碍了该科资源的开发和利用.本文从资源分布、理论与应用研究以及开发利用等方面综述了买麻藤科植物研究进展,将为今后国内深入开展该科植物的相关研究奠定基础.     

芪合酶基因Fm-STS在何首乌毛状根中的过量表达及dsRNA干扰

目的:建立一套探究植物基因功能的方法体系,验证由芪合酶基因保守序列通过RACE扩增技术在何首乌中得到的基因Fm -STS的功能.方法:由含CaMV 35S启动子驱动的gfp基因的植物转基因表达基础质粒pBIN-35S-GFP构建过表达质粒pBIN-35S-STS-GFP(阳性)和双链RNA干扰重组质粒pBIN-35S-正向-反向-GFP(阴性),并同空白表达质粒pBIN-35S-GFP(空白)均导入野生型发根农杆菌ATCC15834中,转化何首乌外植体,诱导生成毛状根并培养,对毛状根进行高效液相色谱分析以及实时荧光定量检测.结果:在过表达组、空白组和干扰组中毛状根中发根农杆菌Ri质粒中的rolB基因和外源基因gfp均有表达,高效液相色谱法分析芪合物二苯乙烯苷含量依次为4.67mg/g、2.18mg/g和0.65 mg/g,在mRNA水平上测试荧光定量检测基因Fm-STS表达量:RNAi组是空白组的1/433.53,过表达组是空白组的2.41倍.结论:结果表明过量表达与双链RNA干扰相结合在植物基因功能研究中有良好的应用,何首乌中芪合酶Fm-STS是二苯乙烯苷主要的合成酶.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Agrobacterium</Emphasis>-mediated genetic transformation of grapevine (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vitis vinifera</Emphasis> L.) with a novel stilbene synthase gene from Chinese wild <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vitis pseudoreticulata</Emphasis>

A novel stilbene synthase gene (STS), cloned from Chinese wild Vitis pseudoreticulata (W. T. Wang) and responsible for synthesis of the phytoalexin resveratrol in grapevine, was successfully transferred into V. vinifera L. cv. Thompson Seedless via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Using transformation procedures developed in the present study, 72% GFP-positive germinated embryos were produced with about 38% of transformed embryos regenerated into normal plantlets. Integration of the STS gene into the transgenic plants was verified by PCR and Southern blot analysis. Expression of the STS gene was detected by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which showed that the resveratrol concentration in the transgenic plants was 5.5 times higher than that in non-transformed control plants. Chaohong Fan and Ni Pu contributed equally to this work.     

The 4′-hydroxy group is responsible for the in vitro cytogenetic activity of resveratrol

We previously reported that 3,5,4′-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene (resveratrol), a polyphenolic phytoalexin found in grapes, induces a high frequency of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in vitro. In this study, to investigate structure activity relationships, we synthesized six analogues of resveratrol differing in number and position of hydroxy groups, and we investigated their activity in chromosomal aberration (CA), micronucleus (MN) and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) tests in a Chinese hamster cell line (CHL). Two of the six analogues (3,4′-dihydroxy-trans-stilbene and 4-hydroxy-trans-stilbene) showed clear positive responses in a concentration-dependent manner in all three tests. Both were equal to or stronger than resveratrol in genotoxicity. The 4′-hydroxy (OH) analogue had the simplest chemical structure and was the most genotoxic. The other analogues did not have a 4′-hydroxy group. These results suggested that a 4′-hydroxy group is essential to the genotoxicity of stilbenes.     

Transfer of a grapevine stilbene synthase gene to rice (Oryza sativa L.)

A gene derived from grapevine (Vitis vinifera) coding for stilbene synthase has been transferred into protoplasts of the commercially important japonica rice cultivar Nipponbare using PEG-mediated direct gene transfer. Transgenic plants were regenerated from calli selected on kanamycin. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA isolated from regenerants and progeny plants demonstrated that the stilbene synthase gene is stably integrated in the genome of transgenic rice plants and inherited in the offspring. The transient formation of stilbene-synthase-specific mRNA shortly after inoculation with the fungus of the rice blast Pyricularia oryzae has demonstrated that the grapevine stilbene synthase promoter is also active in monocotyledonous plants. Preliminary results indicate an enhanced resistance of transgenic rice to P. oryzae. Received: 1 July 1996 / Revision received: 5 November 1996 / Accepted: 30 November 1996     

Discrimination between cultivars of Vitis vinifera based on molecular variability concerning 5″ untranslated regions of the StSy-CHS genes

 The degree of polymorphism present in 5′ untranslated regions of stilbene synthase (StSy)-like loci was assessed. A ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction (LM-PCR) cloning strategy was adopted to isolate sequences located immediately upstream of StSy coding regions. Among several clones, 13 randomly chosen fragments were analyzed at the sequence level. Four of the analyzed fragments appeared of particular interest. Two carried sequences reminiscent of micro-satellites, while the remaining fragments contained direct repeats. Oligonucleotides constructed against the specific DNA sequence of these clones disclosed a complex banding pattern when used in polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-analysis of 22 ancient varieties of grapevine. A total of 40 polymorphic bands could be identified and used to calculate coefficients of genetic similarity (GS) between varieties. GS values were used in cluster analysis to differentiate the 22 varieties. The data obtained are in good agreement with available information concerning the relationships between the varieties considered. This suggests the use of the method we have developed in fingerprinting studies of Vitis vinifera germ plasma. Received: 11 April 1996 / Accepted: 14 March 1997     

Cross-reaction of chalcone synthase and stilbene synthase overexpressed in Escherichia coli

Chalcone synthase (CHS) and stilbene synthase (STS) are related plant polyketide synthases belonging to the CHS superfamily. CHS and STS catalyze common condensation reactions of p-coumaroyl-CoA and three C₂-units from malonyl-CoA but different cyclization reactions to produce naringenin chalcone and resveratrol, respectively. Using purified Pueraria lobata CHS and Arachis hypogaea STS overexpressed in Escherichia coli, bisnoryangonin (BNY, the derailed lactone after two condensations) and p-coumaroyltriacetic acid lactone (the derailed lactone after three condensations) were detected from the reaction products. More importantly, we found a cross-reaction between CHS and STS, i.e. resveratrol production by CHS (2.7–4.2% of naringenin) and naringenin production by STS (1.4–2.3% of resveratrol), possibly due to the conformational flexibility of their active sites.