Metabolomic analysis and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in hairy root culture of tartary buckwheat cultivars

PLoS One. 2013 Jun 14;8(6):e65349. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065349. Print 2013.

Abstract

Buckwheat, Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn., is an important medicinal plant, which contains several phenolic compounds, including one of the highest content of rutin, a phenolic compound with anti-inflammatory properties. An experiment was conducted to investigate the level of expression of various genes in the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway to analyze in vitro production of anthocyanin and phenolic compounds from hairy root cultures derived from 2 cultivars of tartary buckwheat (Hokkai T8 and T10). A total of 47 metabolites were identified by gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS) and subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) in order to fully distinguish between Hokkai T8 and T10 hairy roots. The expression levels of phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway genes, through qRT-PCR, showed higher expression for almost all the genes in T10 than T8 hairy root except for FtF3'H-2 and FtFLS-2. Rutin, quercetin, gallic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and 2 anthocyanin compounds were identified in Hokkai T8 and T10 hairy roots. The concentration of rutin and anthocyanin in Hokkai T10 hairy roots of tartary buckwheat was several-fold higher compared with that obtained from Hokkai T8 hairy root. This study provides useful information on the molecular and physiological dynamic processes that are correlated with phenylpropanoid biosynthetic gene expression and phenolic compound content in F. tataricum species.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anthocyanins / metabolism
  • Biosynthetic Pathways
  • Culture Techniques
  • Fagopyrum / genetics
  • Fagopyrum / metabolism*
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Gene Expression
  • Genes, Plant
  • Metabolome*
  • Metabolomics
  • Plant Proteins / genetics
  • Plant Proteins / metabolism
  • Plant Roots / genetics
  • Plant Roots / metabolism*
  • Plants, Medicinal / genetics
  • Plants, Medicinal / metabolism
  • Rutin / biosynthesis*

Substances

  • Anthocyanins
  • Plant Proteins
  • Rutin

Grants and funding

This work (K11101) was supported by the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM) grant funded by the Korea government. The funder took part in the role of conceiving and designing the experiment.