Elevated Gene Expression in Chalcone Synthase Enzyme Suggests an Increased Production of Flavonoids in Skin and Synchronized Red Cell Cultures of North American Native Grape Berries
Date
2012Author
Davis, Gina
Ananga, Anthony
Krastanova, Stoyanka
Sutton, Safira
Ochieng, Joel W.
Leong, Stephen
Violetka Tsolova, Violetka
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Anthocyanins are antioxidants and are among the natural products synthesized via the flavonoid biosynthesis
pathway. Anthocyanins have been recommended for dietary intake in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases,
cancer, and age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. With an increasingly aging
population in many parts of the world, strategies for the commercial production of in vitro synchronized red
cell cultures as natural antioxidants will be a significant contribution to human medicine. Red pigmented fruits
such as grapes (Vitis sp.) are a major source of bioavailable anthocyanins and other polyphenols. Since the
level of antioxidants varies among cultivars, this study is the first one that phytochemically and genetically
characterizes native grape cultivars of North America to determine the optimal cultivar and berry cells for the
production of anthocyanins as antioxidants. Using real-time PCR and bioinformatics approaches, we tested for
the transcript expression of the chalcone synthase (CHS) gene, an enzyme involved in the flavonoid and
anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway, in different parts of physiologically mature grape berries and in vitro
synchronized red cells. A low level of expression was recorded in berry flesh, compared with an elevated
expression in berry skins and in vitro synchronized red cells, suggesting increased production of flavonoids in
skin and cell cultures. This preliminary study demonstrates the potential of functional genomics in natural
products research as well as in systematic studies of North American native grapes, specifically in muscadine
(Vitis rotundifolia).
URI
http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/10361http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22364203
Citation
Dna and Cell Biology Volume 31, Number 6, 2012, Pp. 939–945Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc
Subject
Elevated Gene ExpressionChalcone Synthase
Enzyme
Flavonoids
Skin
Synchronized
Red Cell
Cultures
North American
Native Grape Berries