title: Cyclase inhibitor tripropylamine significantly enhanced lycopene accumulation in Blakeslea trispora.
abstract: Lycopene is a member of carotenoids that exhibits strong antioxidant activity. In this study, on the basis of screening suitable strain combination [ATCC 14271(+) and ATCC 14272(-)] and establishing the optimal inoculation proportion of mated culture (1/2, +/-, w/w) for carotenoid production, the efficiency of compounds, mainly tertiary amines, on enhancing the lycopene content of Blakeslea trispora was systematically assessed. Of these compounds, tripropylamine showed the best enhancing effect, and then sequentially followed by triethylamine, tributylamine, trimethylamine, diisopropylamine, and isopropylamine. After treated with 1.8 g/L tripropylamine for two days, the lycopene proportion was increased from 1.7% to 90.1%, while the β-carotene proportion was decreased from 91.1% to 6.4% of the total carotenoids. In this case, the lycopene and total carotenoid contents were increased to 83.2 and 92.4 mg/gDW, which were 315.8- and 5.9-fold of that of the untreated control, respectively; while the growth of mycelia was only decreased at 6.0 g/L tripropylamine. Gene expression analysis showed that all the tested genes, especially genes encoding 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (hmgr) and isopentenyl pyrophosphate isomerase (ipi) in mevalonate pathway, as well as phytoene desaturase (carB) in carotenoid biosynthesis process were upregulated. Therefore, tripropylamine enhanced lycopene content of B. trispora by inhibiting the cyclase activity, and by upregulating the expression of genes associated with terpenoid biosynthesis. Besides, a possible association between the structure and the lycopene-enhancing capability of these compounds was also discussed.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Rd, Tianjin 300071, China; Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Rd, Tianjin 300071, China.
authors.forename: Yanlong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Rd, Tianjin 300071, China.
authors.forename: Xiwen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Rd, Tianjin 300071, China.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Rd, Tianjin 300071, China.
authors.forename: Shipeng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Rd, Tianjin 300071, China.
authors.forename: Chunxiao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Rd, Tianjin 300071, China.
authors.forename: Wenfang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Rd, Tianjin 300071, China; Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Rd, Tianjin 300071, China. Electronic address: chendefu@nankai.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Defu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D002338:Carotenoids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000077276:Lycopene; D009090:Mucorales / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D025282:Mycelium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D030781:Organisms, Genetically Modified; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011437:Propylamines / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D011437:Propylamines; D019207:beta Carotene; C096226:tripropylamine; D002338:Carotenoids; C007442:diisopropylamine; D010088:Oxidoreductases; C022398:phytoene dehydrogenase; C035263:2-propylamine; D000077276:Lycopene
keywords: Blakeslea trispora; Carotenoid biosynthesis; Lycopene; Mevalonate pathway; Tripropylamine