Accumulation and distribution of diterpenic acids in leaves of Montanoa tomentosa

Montanoa tomentosa has been used for at least last five centuries in traditional medicine in Mexico as a remedy for reproductive impairments. The accumulation of diterpenic acids in M. tomentosa leaves was determined. Using Scanning Electron Microscopy, the type and distribution of glandular trichomes (GTs) was observed on the abaxial and adaxial sides of leaves. GTs and non-glandular trichomes (NGTs) were observed on leaf surface, but the latter are confined to the leaves abaxial side. On the adaxial surface, only non-glandular trichomes were observed. Accumulation in GTs and leaf lamina of kaurenoic (KA) and grandiflorenic (GFA) acids was determined by Gas Chromatography coupled to an Electron Impact Mass Spectrometric Detector (GC/EI-MSD). GC-MSD analysis indicated that GTs accumulated KA and GFA, with KA accumulation being at a higher level than GFA in these structures. Attention on GFA and KA is due to their importance as plant growth regulator precursors with potential pharmacological applications.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Accumulation and distribution of diterpenic acids in leaves of Montanoa tomentosa

Montanoa tomentosa has been used for at least last five centuries in traditional medicine in Mexico as a remedy for reproductive impairments. The accumulation of diterpenic acids in M. tomentosa leaves was determined. Using Scanning Electron Microscopy, the type and distribution of glandular trichomes (GTs) was observed on the abaxial and adaxial sides of leaves. GTs and non-glandular trichomes (NGTs) were observed on leaf surface, but the latter are confined to the leaves abaxial side. On the adaxial surface, only non-glandular trichomes were observed. Accumulation in GTs and leaf lamina of kaurenoic (KA) and grandiflorenic (GFA) acids was determined by Gas Chromatography coupled to an Electron Impact Mass Spectrometric Detector (GC/EI-MSD). GC-MSD analysis indicated that GTs accumulated KA and GFA, with KA accumulation being at a higher level than GFA in these structures. Attention on GFA and KA is due to their importance as plant growth regulator precursors with potential pharmacological applications.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Cytochrome P450 from Plants: Platforms for Valuable Phytopharmaceuticals

Cytochrome P450 enzymes are important for biotechnology due to their capacity to modify diverse secondary metabolites that may produce chemicals with pharmacological properties. Most terpenes, flavonoids and alkaloids require P450 catalytic functions to reach their biological activity. In the last ten years, several efforts have focused on the expression and production of these three main types of secondary metabolites in engineered microorganisms and plants using P450 of ethnobotanical origin. Despite this, several P450 coding sequences from plant sources are discovered yearly but only a few have been screened by functional genomics. Amongst them, only a few have shown potentials for use in sustainable production of novel drugs and highly valuable products. Cytochrome P450 involvement in the biosynthesis of these products is discussed in this work.Keywords: Biotechnological platforms, Cytochrome P450, Phytopharmaceuticals, Yield improvement, Terpenes, Flavonoids, Alkaloids, Microbial expressio

A Customized Pigmentation SNP Array Identifies a Novel SNP Associated with Melanoma Predisposition in the SLC45A2 Gene

As the incidence of Malignant Melanoma (MM) reflects an interaction between skin colour and UV exposure, variations in genes implicated in pigmentation and tanning response to UV may be associated with susceptibility to MM. In this study, 363 SNPs in 65 gene regions belonging to the pigmentation pathway have been successfully genotyped using a SNP array. Five hundred and ninety MM cases and 507 controls were analyzed in a discovery phase I. Ten candidate SNPs based on a p-value threshold of 0.01 were identified. Two of them, rs35414 (SLC45A2) and rs2069398 (SILV/CKD2), were statistically significant after conservative Bonferroni correction. The best six SNPs were further tested in an independent Spanish series (624 MM cases and 789 controls). A novel SNP located on the SLC45A2 gene (rs35414) was found to be significantly associated with melanoma in both phase I and phase II (P<0.0001). None of the other five SNPs were replicated in this second phase of the study. However, three SNPs in TYR, SILV/CDK2 and ADAMTS20 genes (rs17793678, rs2069398 and rs1510521 respectively) had an overall p-value<0.05 when considering the whole DNA collection (1214 MM cases and 1296 controls). Both the SLC45A2 and the SILV/CDK2 variants behave as protective alleles, while the TYR and ADAMTS20 variants seem to function as risk alleles. Cumulative effects were detected when these four variants were considered together. Furthermore, individuals carrying two or more mutations in MC1R, a well-known low penetrance melanoma-predisposing gene, had a decreased MM risk if concurrently bearing the SLC45A2 protective variant. To our knowledge, this is the largest study on Spanish sporadic MM cases to date

Metabolic Responses of the Microalga <i>Neochloris oleoabundans</i> to Extracellular Self- and Nonself-DNA

Stressed organisms identify intracellular molecules released from damaged cells due to trauma or pathogen infection as components of the innate immune response. These molecules called DAMPs (Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns) are extracellular ATP, sugars, and extracellular DNA, among others. Animals and plants can recognize their own DNA applied externally (self-exDNA) as a DAMP with a high degree of specificity. However, little is known about the microalgae responses to damage when exposed to DAMPs and specifically to self-exDNAs. Here we compared the response of the oilseed microalgae Neochloris oleoabundans to self-exDNA, with the stress responses elicited by nonself-exDNA, methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3). We analyzed the peroxidase enzyme activity related to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as the production of polyphenols, lipids, triacylglycerols, and phytohormones. After 5 min of addition, self-exDNA induced peroxidase enzyme activity higher than the other elicitors. Polyphenols and lipids were increased by self-exDNA at 48 and 24 h, respectively. Triacylglycerols were increased with all elicitors from addition and up to 48 h, except with nonself-exDNA. Regarding phytohormones, self-exDNA and MeJA increased gibberellic acid, isopentenyladenine, and benzylaminopurine at 24 h. Results show that Neochloris oleoabundans have self-exDNA specific responses