Establishing grapevine hairy root cultures to study terpene production

Date
2023-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Terpenes are plant specialized or secondary metabolites that play a crucial role in plant growth, development, survival and interaction with the environment. Uses of terpenes in industry have grown over time and this demand has led to research regarding ways to improve the biosynthesis of terpenes in planta. Hairy roots are a promising experimental system to study terpene biosynthesis and accumulation. The aim of this study was to therefore establish hairy root cultures of several grapevine cultivars to study terpene production, profiles and quantification. In this study, two grapevine Rhizobium-mediated hairy root transformation methods were tested, differing in the starting material used for transformation (explants), as well as the species used; Rhizobium radiobacter C58C1 and Rhizobium rhizogenes A4T were tested for transformation efficiency. The grapevine scion cultivars used in the study were Vitis vinifera cvs Sultana, Redglobe, and Chardonnay, as well as the rootstocks Vitis Champini (Ramsey), and the interspecific hybrid Selection Openheim 4 (SO4). It was established that R. rhizogenes A4T was more effective in hairy root transformation because it had a moderate multiplication rate which enabled its elimination after co-cultivation with explants, unlike R. radiobacter C58C1 which was persistent in tissue cultures, thereby leading to its undesirable overgrowth on the explants. The results from the explants tested confirmed in vitro internodes of 6-week-old plants to yield higher numbers of hairy roots than the other method tested and was therefore adopted for the rest of the studies. The hairy roots were grown on half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, supplemented with 1 g/l activated charcoal on both solid and liquid medium, after some optimisation to improve the sustained growth and integrity of the cultures. Sultana had the highest transformation success at 80% while SO4 had the least success at 13%. To confirm the transgenic state, the hairy roots were checked for the expression of the rolB genes: roots from Redglobe and Sultana tested negative, while those from SO4 and Ramsey tested positive. This was surprising and not considered conclusive in terms of the transgenic status of the Sultana and Redglobe roots, since they had the typical hairy root phenotypes; these cultures were therefore maintained for further analyses. Growth curve analysis in liquid medium confirmed that the cultures typically reach stationary phase after three weeks of culturing in liquid medium. Terpene profiling and quantification were conducted on the established hairy root cultures from the different cultivars using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) after optimising some parameters of an existing volatile organic compound method. Hairy roots were shown to produce terpenes and the terpene profiles obtained from them differed from those of untransformed in vitro plantlet root and leaf profiles of the same genotypes. Increased accumulation of plant defence sesquiterpene α-humulene, allelopathic monoterpene α-pinene and fragrant linalool oxide, also implicated in plant defence, were seen enriched in the hairy root cultures. Compounds such as trans-b-ocimene, myrtenol, β-myrcene and geraniol, all implicated in insecticidal activity, showed reduced accumulation in the hairy roots. In a preliminary elicitation experiment, hairy root elicitation with MeJA led to the accumulation of trans-b- ocimene and linalool oxides which are involved in plant defence. Phytol was also detected in control hairy roots (not induced by the elicitor) which was an unusual occurrence since it is a chloroplast associated terpene. It would be interesting to study if transformation could have played a role in its accumulation in root tissue. The results obtained contribute to the knowledge of cultivar responses to Rhizobium- mediated transformation; provide a method for generating and propagating hairy roots in both solid and liquid medium; provide information on cultivar-specific grapevine root terpene profiles; and the ability of hairy roots to be induced to improve terpene accumulation in planta. Some of the problems experienced during the study also led to the identification of aspects that could be further optimised, such as the importance of testing alternative bacterial strains for transformation, or improvement of available strains to incorporate reporter genes or fluorescent markers in the transfer DNA to help in the transgenic root selection process. To further improve growth conditions of hairy root cultures, bioreactors may also be considered for use in order to enhance nutrient supply and aeration.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Terpene is plantgespesialiseerde of sekondêre metaboliete wat 'n deurslaggewende rol speel in plantgroei, ontwikkeling, oorlewing en interaksie met die omgewing. Gebruike van terpene in die industrie groei steeds, wat lei tot ‘n belang in navorsing rakende optimisering van die biosintese van terpene in planta. Harige wortels is 'n belowende eksperimentele stelsel om terpeenbiosintese en akkumulasie te bestudeer. Die doel van hierdie studie was dus om harige wortelkulture van verskeie wingerdkultivars te vestig om terpeenproduksie, -profiele en -kwantifisering te bestudeer. In hierdie studie is twee Rhizobium-gemedieerde harige wortel transformasie metodes vir wingerd getoets, asook die rol wat die tipe beginmateriaal (eksplante) wat gebruik word vir transformasie speel. Verder is die effektiwiteit van Rhizobium radiobacter C58C1 en R. rhizogenes A4T getoets vir transformasie doeltreffendheid. Die wingerdstokkultivars wat in die studie gebruik is, was Vitis vinifera cvs Sultana, Redglobe, en Chardonnay (as bostamme), asook die onderstokke Vitis Champini (Ramsey), en die interspesifieke hibried Selection Openheim 4 (SO4). Daar is vasgestel dat R. rhizogenes A4T meer effektief was in harige worteltransformasie omdat dit 'n matige vermenigvuldigingstempo gehad het wat die eliminasie daarvan moontlik gemaak het na saamkweek met eksplante, anders as R. radiobacter C58C1 wat blywend in die weefselkulture was en gelei het tot die oorgroei van die eksplante. Die eksplante wat getoets is, het bevestig dat in vitro internodes van 6 weke oue plante hoër getalle harige wortels oplewer as die ander metode wat getoets is, en is dus vir die res van die studies gebruik. Die harige wortels is gegroei op halfsterkte Murashige en Skoog (MS) medium aangevul met 1 g/l geaktiveerde houtskool, op beide vaste en vloeibare medium na optimisering van die metodes om die volgehoue groei en integriteit van die kulture te verbeter. Sultana eksplante het die hoogste transformasiesukses met 80% gehad terwyl SO4 eksplante net tot 13% harige wortelvorming gelei het. Om die transgeniese status van die harige wortels te bevestig, is die teenwoordigheid van die rolB-gene ondersoek. Die bostamkultivars Redglobe en Sultana het negatief getoets vir die gene, terwyl die onderstokkultivars SO4 en Ramsey positief getoets het. Dit was ‘n onverwagse resultaat aangesien die bostamkultivars die tipiese harige wortelfenotipes vertoon het. Die resultaat is dus nie as konklusief gesien nie en die bostamkulture is wel vir vir verdere ontledings onderhou. Groeikromme-analise in vloeibare medium het bevestig dat die kulture tipies stasionêre fase bereik na drie weke se groei in vloeibare medium. Terpeenprofilering en -kwantifisering is uitgevoer op die harige wortelkulture van die verskillende kultivars met die gebruik van gaschromatografie-massaspektrometrie (GC-MS), nadat sommige parameters van 'n bestaande metode vir vlugtige organiese verbinding geoptimeer is. Harige wortels het gelei tot die vorming van terpene en hul terpeenprofiele het verskil van dié van ongetransformeerde in vitro wortel- en blaarprofiele van dieselfde genotipes wat as kontroles ingesluit is. Verhoogde akkumulasie van plantverdedigings verbindings soos die sesquiterpeen α-humuleen, allelopatiese monoterpeen α-pineen en geurige linalooloksied, ook betrokke by plantverdediging, is in die harige wortelkulture gesien. Verbindings soos trans-b-ocimene, myrtenol, β-mircene en geraniol, almal betrokke by insekdodende aktiwiteit, het verminderde ophoping in die harige wortels getoon. In 'n voorlopige studie om te evalueer of terpeenproduksie kan geaktiveer word in die harige wortel, het die induksieagent, metieljasmonaat (MeJA) gelei tot die ophoping van trans-b-ocimene en linalool oksiede wat betrokke is by plant verdediging. Fitol is ook in kontrole-harige wortels opgespoor (maar was nie deur die uitlokker geïnduseer nie). Dit was ongewoon om dit in die wortelkulture te vind, angesien dit 'n chloroplast-geassosieerde terpeen is. Dit sal interessant wees om te bestudeer of transformasie 'n rol gespeel het in die ophoping daarvan in die wortelkulture. Hierdie resultate dra by tot die kennis van druifplant kultivars se reaksie op Rhizobium- gemedieerde transformasie; verskaf 'n metode vir die skepping en voortplanting van harige wortels in beide vaste en vloeibare medium; en verskaf inligting oor kultivar spesifieke wingerdwortel terpeen profiele en die vermoë van harige wortels om geïnduseer te word om terpeen akkumulasie te verbeter in planta. Sommige van die probleme wat tydens die studie ondervind is, het ook gelei tot die identifisering van aspekte wat verder geoptimaliseer kan word, soos die belang om alternatiewe bakteriese stamme vir transformasie te toets, of verbeterings aan beskikbare stamme te maak deur verklikkergene, of fluoresserende merkers te inkorporeer om te help met die uitkenning van transgeniese harige wortels. Om groeitoestande van harige wortelkulture verder te verbeter, kan bioreaktors oorweeg word om die voedingstofvoorsiening en deurlugting te verbeter.
Description
Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.
Keywords
Citation