Plant associate projects
Evaluation of glucosinolate variation in a collection of turnip (Brassica rapa) germplasm by the analysis of intact and desulfo glucosinolates
Four new depsides in Origanum dictamnus methanol extract
We herein describe the identification of four new depsides present in methanol extract of Origanum dictamnus. O. dictamnus’ (dittany) aerial parts methanol extract was subjected to semi-preparative RP-HPLC fractionation followed by identification of individual compounds in each fraction using 1D/2D NMR, MS approaches and DFT calculations. The structural data revealed that 4 of the compounds were novel hitherto unidentified molecules, whereas the other 6 corresponded to known structures belonging to the groups of monoterpenes, phenolic acids and depsides.
Metabolomics reveals organ-specific metabolic rearrangements during early tomato seedling development
Tomato seedlings (Solanum lycopersicum cv. MoneyMaker), grown under strictly controlled conditions, have been used to study alterations occurring in secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways following developmental and environmental perturbations. Robustness and reproducibility of the system were confirmed using detailed statistical analyses of the metabolome. LCMS profiling was applied using whole germinated seeds as well as cotyledons, hypocotyls and roots from 3 to 9 days old seedlings to generate relative levels of 433 metabolites, of which 62 were annotated.
The sucrose regulated transcription factor bZIP11 affects amino acid metabolism by regulating the expression of ASPARAGINE SYNTHETASE1 and PROLINE DEHYDROGENASE2
Tomato strigolactones are derived from carotenoids and their biosynthesis is promoted by phosphate starvation
Strigolactones are rhizosphere signalling compounds that mediate host location in arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and parasitic plants. Here, the regulation of the biosynthesis of strigolactones is studied in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).
Recombinant expression and functional characterisation of regiospecific flavonoid glucosyltransferases from Hieracium pilosella L.
Iridoid and caffeoyl phenylethanoid glycosides of the endangered carnivorous plant Pinguicula lusitanica (Lentibulariaceae)
This work reports for the first time the identification of the major compounds of Pinguicula lusitanica, an endangered carnivorous plant species, using minimal amounts of plant material. A methanol extract was prepared from in vitro cultured plantlets and analyzed by HPLC–SPE–NMR/HPLC–MS. Three iridoid and five caffeoyl phenylethanoid glycosides were identified. These groups of natural compounds were previously reported in the Lentibulariaceae family and have been used as chemotaxonomic markers in related families.
Intra- and inter-metabolite correlation spectroscopy of tomato metabolomics data obtained by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance
Stress-induced DNA methylation changes and their heritability in asexual dandelions
*DNA methylation can cause heritable phenotypic modifications in the absence of changes in DNA sequence. Environmental stresses can trigger methylation changes and this may have evolutionary consequences, even in the absence of sequence variation. However, it remains largely unknown to what extent environmentally induced methylation changes are transmitted to offspring, and whether observed methylation variation is truly independent or a downstream consequence of genetic variation between individuals.