Metabolic Engineering of Yeast and Plants for the Production of the Biologically Active Hydroxystilbene, Resveratrol

Resveratrol, a stilbenic compound deriving from the phenyalanine/polymalonate route, being stilbene synthase the last and key enzyme of this pathway, recently has become the focus of a number of studies in medicine and plant physiology. Increased demand for this molecule for nutraceutical, cosmetic and possibly pharmaceutic uses, makes its production a necessity. In this context, the use of biotechnology through recombinant microorganisms and plants is particularly promising. Interesting results can indeed arise from the potential of genetically modified microorganisms as an alternative mechanism for producing resveratrol. Strategies used to tailoring yeast as they do not possess the genes that encode for the resveratrol pathway, will be described. On the other hand, most interest has centered in recent years, on STS gene transfer experiments from various origins to the genome of numerous plants. This work also presents a comprehensive review on plant molecular engineering with the STS gene, resulting in disease resistance against microorganisms and the enhancement of the antioxidant activities of several fruits in transgenic lines

Use of grapevine cell cultures for the production of phytostilbenes of cosmetic interest

AbstractPlant cell cultures constitute pesticide-free sources for obtaining plant secondary metabolites or plant extracts. Additionally, they do not contain any fungal contaminants, mycotoxins or heavy metals providing to the consumer potential health benefits and justifying the development of this technology at an industrial scale. Significant production levels of these secondary metabolites can be obtained through the use of elicitors, which activate plant defense mechanisms. Resveratrol, a well-known grapevine polyphenolic compound which possesses potent antioxidant and antiaging activities as well as a protective action on skin, is a good example of such plant secondary metabolites. Resveratrol and its oligomeric derivatives are used by several companies of cosmetic products but their extraction from vine stems and similar vegetal sources remains difficult. Therefore grapevine cell suspensions could represent interesting systems for the large-scale bioproduction of those compounds. Here we present an update of the methods used for the production of phytostilbenes by using grapevine cell cultures and the results obtained