Abstract
Manipulation of plant natural product biosynthesis through genetic engineering is an attractive but technically challenging goal. Here, we demonstrate that different secondary metabolites can be produced in cultured maize cells by ectopic expression of the appropriate regulatory genes. Cell lines engineered to express the maize transcriptional activators C1 and R accumulate two cyanidin derivatives, which are similar to the predominant anthocyanin found in differentiated plant tissues. In contrast, cell lines that express P accumulate various 3-deoxy flavonoids. Unexpectedly, P-expressing cells in culture also accumulate phenylpropanoids and green fluorescent compounds that are targeted to different subcellular compartments. Two endogenous biosynthetic genes (c2 and a1, encoding chalcone synthase and flavanone/dihydroflavonol reductase, respectively) are independently activated by ectopic expression of either P or C1/R, and there is a dose-response relationship between the transcript level of P and the degree to which c2 or a1 is expressed. Our results support a simple model showing how the gene encoding P may act as a quantitative trait locus controlling insecticidal C-glycosyl flavone level in maize silks, and they suggest how p1 might confer a selective advantage against insect predation in maize.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Maize cell lines engineered to express C1 and R accumulated two cyanidin derivatives.
- Treatment
- engineered to express the maize transcriptional activators C1 and Re0
- Gene
- C1 and Re0
- Outcome
- two cyanidin derivativese0
- Direction
- accumulatee0
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cell lines engineered to express the maize transcriptional activators C1 and R accumulate two cyanidin derivatives”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize cell lines that express P accumulated various 3-deoxy flavonoids.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Maize Cells”
e0“cell lines that express P accumulate various 3-deoxy flavonoids”
Claim · model-written summary
P-expressing cultured maize cells unexpectedly also accumulated phenylpropanoids and green fluorescent compounds targeted to different subcellular compartments.
- Treatment
- P-expressinge0
- Gene
- Pe0
- Outcome
- phenylpropanoids and green fluorescent compoundse0
- Direction
- accumulatee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Maize Cells”
e0“P-expressing cells in culture also accumulate phenylpropanoids and green fluorescent compounds that are targeted to different subcellular compartments”
Claim · model-written summary
Endogenous genes c2 and a1 were independently activated by ectopic expression of either P or C1/R.
- Treatment
- ectopic expression of either P or C1/Re0
- Gene
- c2 and a1e0
- Outcome
- independently activatede0
- Direction
- activatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Maize Cells”
e0“Two endogenous biosynthetic genes (c2 and a1, encoding chalcone synthase and flavanone/dihydroflavonol reductase, respectively) are independently activated by ectopic expression of either P or C1/R”
Claim · model-written summary
The transcript level of P is related by a dose-response relationship to the degree of expression of c2 or a1.
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Maize Cells”
e0“there is a dose-response relationship between the transcript level of P and the degree to which c2 or a1 is expressed”
Claim · model-written summary
The results support a model in which the gene encoding P may act as a quantitative trait locus controlling insecticidal C-glycosyl flavone level in maize silks.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the gene encoding P may act as a quantitative trait locus controlling insecticidal C-glycosyl flavone level in maize silks”
Claim · model-written summary
The results suggest how p1 might confer a selective advantage against insect predation in maize.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“p1 might confer a selective advantage against insect predation in maize”