Expression of Arabidopsis MYB transcription factor, AtMYB111, in tobacco requires light to modulate flavonol content.
Flavonoids, due to their pharmacological attributes, have recently become target molecules for metabolic engineering in commonly consumed food crops. Strategies including expression of single genes and gene pyramiding have provided only limited success, due principally to the highly branched and complex biosynthetic pathway of the flavonoids. Transcription factors have been demonstrated as an efficient tool for metabolic engineering of this pathway, but often exhibit variation in heterologous systems relative to that in the homologous system. In the present work, Arabidopsis MYB transcription factor, AtMYB111, has been expressed in tobacco to study whether this can enhance flavonoid biosynthesis in heterologous system. The results suggest that AtMYB111 expression in transgenic tobacco enhances expression of genes of the phenylpropanoid pathway leading to an elevated content of flavonols. However, dark incubation of transgenic and wild type (WT) plants down-regulated both the expression of genes as well as flavonoid content as compared to light grown plants. The study concludes that AtMYB111 can be effectively used in heterologous systems, however, light is required for its action in modulating biosynthetic pathway.
1] Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Botanical Research Institute, (CSIR-NBRI), Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow-226 001, INDIA [2].
Ashutosh
A
Pandey
1] Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Botanical Research Institute, (CSIR-NBRI), Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow-226 001, INDIA [2].
Prashant
P
Misra
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Botanical Research Institute, (CSIR-NBRI), Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow-226 001, INDIA.
Sweta
S
Bhambhani
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Botanical Research Institute, (CSIR-NBRI), Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow-226 001, INDIA.
Chitra
C
Bhatia
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Botanical Research Institute, (CSIR-NBRI), Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow-226 001, INDIA.
Prabodh Kumar
PK
Trivedi
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D044948:Flavonols / Q000378:metabolism*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008027:Light; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D044948:Flavonols; C500589:Myb protein, Arabidopsis; D014157:Transcription Factors