BIOSYN-NUDICAUL

Biosynthetic studies of nudicaulins in laser-microdissected petal cell of Papaver nudicaule by the use of NMR spectroscopy and hyphenated technique LC-NMR

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Nudicaulins is a group of alkaloids compounds present in petals of Papaver nudicaule (Iceland poppy) flower. That class of compounds represents a further group of coloured alkaloids and their accumulation in petals could enhance the attraction of flowers for insects. The elusive structure of these pigments, responsible about the dark yellowed petal variety of Papaver nudicaule, attracts our interest about the biosynthetic formation which is still unknown. Moreover there is a fascinating debate about the formation of these unique compounds if derived by Diels Alder or ionic (42) cycloaddition of indole. Through those pigments, seem to occur exclusively in petals of flower and the final biosynthetic step is expected to be performed very likely in petals as well. It is not clear whether the precursors are preformed in other plant parts, nor if there are special storage cell in petals. Biosynthetic studies consisted either of injection of labelled precursors to plant material at a reasonable time before their derived isotopomers identification, either to use of a non invasive application such as the illumination of plant for a few hours in atmosphere of synthetic air enriched with 13CO2, resulted to isotopologues production. The collected plant material is going to be treated with laser-assisted microdissection in order to obtained the important for our research single plant cells or specific cell population containing the under study compounds, succeeded an important enrichment of the sample. Usually, the labeled sample material is analyzed by liquid chromatography and isolated compounds identified by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. Moreover in present work we are going to analyze the microdissected plant material by the newly established hyphenated technique LC-NMR, and develop the analysis of results from detection of isotopomers or isotopologues with direct or indirect methods.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Floral colours are usually designated by pigments such as flavonoids, carotenoids or betalains. But the colour of the flowers of the yellow Iceland poppy is down to a group of pigments called nudicaulins.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Nudicaulins refers to a group of alkaloid compounds found in the petals of the Papaver nudicaule (Iceland poppy) flower. A close analysis of this special plant and its organs during different development stages revealed that nudicaulin pigments are located only in petals. Now, with the unfolding of the chemical structure of nudicaulins, other unique molecular structures have come to the fore, signalling a breakthrough in plant biology and biochemistry.

The Biosyn-Nudicaul project aimed to understand the make-up and distribution of nudicaulins, investigate their physiological and ecological functions, and uncover their potential for use in drugs. To achieve these objectives, biosynthetic studies were used to either inject labelled precursors into plant material before identifying their derived isotopomers, or to apply a non-invasive technique such as plant illumination, which led to the production of isotopologues.

A comparison of the metabolic profile of white flowers from Iceland poppy plants with that of the yellow flowers showed that the only difference was the absence of nudicaulins. Further research results indicate that the metabolic pathway responsible for the biosynthesis of nudicaulins is inactive in white petals, since the corresponding genes and enzymes are not expressed.

The fact that nudicaulin pigments are located only in the petals points to these pigments playing a major role in the flower's pollination mechanism. The example of nudicaulins is unique and work in this project has revealed the presence of a novel pathway, which represents a breakthrough in plant biology and biochemistry.