betalains and methyl-jasmonate

Natural pigments are components very important in the dye industry. The betalains are pigments found in plants from Caryophyllales order and are relevant in the food manufacturing. The main source of betalains is beetroot, which has unfavorable aftertaste. Therefore, the demand for alternative species producing betalains has increased. Elicitor molecules such as methyl jasmonate (MeJA) induce metabolic reprogramming acting in the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites and can enhance pigment concentrations. Here, we used this strategy to identify if treatment with MeJA at 100 µM can promote the accumulation of betalains and other bioactive compounds in Alternanthera philoxeroides and Alternanthera sessilis. We performed the gene expression, concentration of betalains, phenols, flavonoids, amino acids (phenylalanine and tyrosine), and antioxidant activity. The results showed that MeJA treatment increased betalains and other bioactive compounds in the two Alternanthera species but A. sessilis had a better performance. One key factor in this pathway is related to the phenylalanine and tyrosine concentration. However, the species have distinct metabolic regulation: in A. philoxeroides, high concentrations of betalain pigments increase the tyrosine concentration and gene expression (include ADH) under MeJA and in A. sessilis, high concentrations of betalain pigments reduce the gene expression and tyrosine concentration after 2 days under MeJA. This study brings new questions about betalain biosynthesis and sheds light on the evolution of this pathway in Caryophyllales.

Topics: Amaranthaceae; Antioxidants; Betalains; Flavonoids; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Phenols; Phenylalanine; Pigments, Biological; Tyrosine

Betacyanin production in suspension-cultured cells of Portulaca was significantly enhanced by both abiotic and biotic elicitors. Betacyanin levels increased 1.3 and 1.5-fold over the controls in the presence of two abiotic elicitors (20 mumol/L CuSO4 and 100 mumol/L FeEDTA) and increased 1.8 and 1.6-fold in the presence of two biotic elicitors (0.5 mg/L beta-glucan and 0.5 mg/L chitosan). Maximum betacyanin synthesis with the two most effective elicitors was obtained when cultures were treated on day 1 and day 0 by beta-glucan and FeEDTA, respectively. A concentration-dependent response was exhibited by cultures treated with exogenous methyl jasmonate (MJ). MJ alone at 0.1 mumol/L caused a 2.6-fold increase in betacyanin synthesis when administered to the suspension culture on day 3. However, no additive effect on betacyanin accumulation was observed in treatments, which combined MJ and beta-glucan or FeEDTA. Treatment with ibuprofen (IB), an inhibitor of jasmonate biosynthesis, reduced the level of betacyanin in cells cultured in standard medium at all concentrations tested (25, 50, 100 mumol/L). The effect of IB on betacyanin synthesis in the cells treated with MJ or beta-glucan, however, differed with the IB concentration applied. The two higher concentrations (50 and 100 mumol/L) of IB significantly reduced the betacyanin content while the lower concentration (25 mumol/L) did not show an adverse effect on the betacyanin enhancement triggered by MJ or beta-glucan. Our findings suggest that, in suspension-cultured cells of Portulaca, an MJ-mediated signal transduction pathway prominently exists in betacyanin synthesis. This pathway seems to act antagonistically towards beta-glucan-mediated signaling. As far as we know this is the first report on the elevation of betacyanin level by jasmonate or other elicitors in cell suspension cultures.

Topics: Acetates; Betalains; Cells, Cultured; Chitin; Chitosan; Copper Sulfate; Cyclopentanes; Edetic Acid; Ferric Compounds; Glucans; Ibuprofen; Oxylipins; Pigments, Biological; Portulaca; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Signal Transduction