sinigrin and isothiocyanic-acid

Overexpression of BoMYB29 gene up-regulates the aliphatic glucosinolate pathway in Brassica oleracea plants increasing the production of the anti-cancer metabolite glucoraphanin, and the toxic and pungent sinigrin. Isothiocyanates, the bio-active hydrolysis products of glucosinolates, naturally produced by several Brassicaceae species, play an important role in human health and agriculture. This study aims at correlating the content of aliphatic glucosinolates to the expression of genes involved in their synthesis in Brassica oleracea, and perform functional analysis of BoMYB29 gene. To this purpose, three genotypes were used: a sprouting broccoli, a cabbage, and a wild genotype (Winspit), a high glucosinolate containing accession. Winspit showed the highest transcript level of BoMYB28, BoMYB29 and BoAOP2 genes, and BoAOP2 expression was positively correlated with that of the two MYB genes. Further analyses of the aliphatic glucosinolates also showed a positive correlation between the expression of BoAOP2 and the production of sinigrin and gluconapin in Winspit. The Winspit BoMYB29 CDS was cloned and overexpressed in Winspit and in the DH AG1012 line. Overexpressing Winspit plants produced higher quantities of alkenyl glucosinolates, such as sinigrin. Conversely, the DH AG1012 transformants showed a higher production of methylsulphinylalkyl glucosinolates, including glucoraphanin, and, despite an up-regulation of the aliphatic glucosinolate genes, no increase in alkenyl glucosinolates. The latter may be explained by the absence of a functional AOP2 gene in DH AG1012. Nevertheless, an extract of DH AG1012 lines overexpressing BoMYB29 provided a chemoprotective effect on human colon cells. This work exemplifies how the genetic diversity of B. oleracea may be used by breeders to select for higher expression of transcription factors for glucosinolate biosynthesis to improve its natural, health-promoting properties.

Topics: Brassica; Gene Expression; Genetic Variation; Glucosinolates; HT29 Cells; Humans; Imidoesters; Isothiocyanates; Oximes; Plant Extracts; Plant Proteins; Plants, Genetically Modified; Sulfoxides; Transcription Factors

The ability of Listeria (L.) monocytogenes to convert glucosinolates into antimicrobial isothiocyanates was investigated. Mustard glucosinolates in pure (sinigrin) or extract forms (sinigrin, oriental; sinalbin, yellow mustard) were used in broth media and in a polyvinyl polyethylene glycol graft copolymer (PPG) packaging film with bologna to examine their value as antimicrobial precursors for the control of L. monocytogenes viability and extension of bologna shelf-life at 4 °C. During broth tests with deodorized (myrosinase-inactivated) mustard extracts (10 d at 20 °C) or with purified sinigrin (21 d at 20 °C) L. monocytogenes was only inhibited when exogenous myrosinase was added. None the less, the organism was able to hydrolyze almost half the pure sinigrin by 21 d in tests without added enzyme. Reductions in sinigrin levels were measured by reversed-phase liquid chromatography, and in the absence of L. monocytogenes or added myrosinase the glucosinolate was stable. When pure sinigrin, oriental or yellow mustard extracts were incorporated in PPG films containing 3, 5 and 6% (w/w) of the corresponding glucosinolate and used to package bologna inoculated with 4 log CFU/g L. monocytogenes, the pathogen became undetectable in bologna packed with the oriental mustard extract at 52 d storage and remained undetectable at 70 d. The yellow mustard extract was less inhibitory and the pure sinigrin was not antimicrobial. L. monocytogenes numbers reached >7 log CFU/g in the film and untreated controls at 17 d storage. At 35 d storage, samples packed with control film contained sufficient numbers of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) (>7 log CFU/g) to be considered spoiled, whereas treatments containing mustard or sinigrin remained <7 log CFU/g LAB for ≤ 70 d. L. monocytogenes played a key role in exerting control over its own viability in bologna by hydrolysis of the glucosinolate in the oriental mustard film, but other antimicrobials in treatments may have contributed.

Topics: Anti-Infective Agents; Biofilms; Chromatography, Reverse-Phase; Colony Count, Microbial; Glucosinolates; Hydrolysis; Isothiocyanates; Listeria monocytogenes; Meat Products; Mustard Plant; Plant Extracts; Sinapis

Three strains of Bifidobacterium sp., B. pseudocatenulatum, B. adolescentis, and B. longum were studied for their ability to digest glucosinolates, sinigrin (SNG) and glucotropaeolin (GTL), in vitro. All strains digested both glucosinolates during 24-48 h cultivation, accompanied by a decline in the medium pH from 7.1 to 5.2. The digestion of glucosinolates by a cell-free extract prepared from sonicated cells of B. adolescentis, but not cultivated broth, increased in the presence of 0.5 mM l-ascorbic acid. Also, a time-dependent formation of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) was observed when the cell-free extract was incubated with 0.25 mM SNG for 120 min at pH 7.0. These reaction features suggest that the digestive activity may have been due to an enzyme similar to myrosinase, an enzyme of plant origin. GC-MS analysis of the Bifidobacterial cultured broth showed that the major products were 3-butenenitrile (BCN) and phenylacetonitrile (PhACN), from SNG and GTL, respectively and nitriles, probably due to a decrease in the pH of the media. AITC and benzyl isothiocyanate (BzITC) were barely detectable in the broth. It was concluded that the three species of Bifidobacteria could be involved in digestive degradation of glucosinolates in the human intestinal tract.

Topics: Acetonitriles; Ascorbic Acid; Bifidobacterium; Biotransformation; Culture Media, Conditioned; Digestive System; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Glucosinolates; Hydroxamic Acids; Isothiocyanates; Nitriles; Thioglucosides