甜菜素合成相关基因BvDDC1的克隆与表达分析

甜菜素是一种重要的天然色素,具有广阔的应用前景。为探究调控甜菜素合成关键基因BvDDC1功能,本研究测定了不同生长阶段甜菜‘Yellow chard’的甜菜素含量和BvDDC1的相对表达量,同时采用同源克隆技术获得BvDDC1基因序列,并对其进行生物信息学分析及功能预测。结果表明:甜菜叶片中甜菜素含量随甜菜生长时间的延长呈现上升趋势,且BvDDC1在不同时期甜菜叶片中均有表达,呈现先上升后下降的趋势。甜菜素含量越高,BvDDC1表达量越高。BvDDC1序列全长为1509 bp,编码502个氨基酸,编码蛋白不具有跨膜结构,预测其在膜外发挥作用。系统进化树显示与菠菜亲缘关系较近,同源性最高。本研究结果可为解析甜菜素生物合成提供科学依据。     

Phenolic Composition,Antioxidant Capacity and <Emphasis Type="Italic">In Vitro</Emphasis> Cancer Cell Cytotoxicity of Nine Prickly Pear (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Opuntia</Emphasis> spp.) Juices

Juices of nine prickly pears (Opuntia spp.) were characterized in terms of color, acidity, sugar content, phenolics, flavonoids, betalains and antioxidant activity and tested in vitro against four cancer cell lines. The juices had pH′s, acidities and sugar ranging from 4.27 to 5.46, 0.03 to 0.27% and 8 to 14.7°Brix, respectively. Juices also varied in color from white to purple and contained total phenolics, flavonoids, betaxanthins, betacyanins and antioxidant capacity ranging from 22 to 226 μg gallic acid eq/g, 95 to 374 μg quercetin eq/g, 3 to 189 μg/g, 1.6 to 300 μg/g and 17 to 25 micromoles Trolox eq./mL, respectively. Among the cancer lines tested, viability of prostate and colon cells were the most affected. Moradillo contained the highest flavonoids and diminished both prostate and colon cancer cell viability without affecting mammary or hepatic cancer cells. Rastrero reduced the growth of the four cancer cell lines without affecting normal fibroblast viability. The research shows intervarietal differences among prickly pears in terms of juice properties and phytochemicals that could prevent oxidative stress and cancer.     

Radical Scavenging Activity and Stability of Betalains from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Beta vulgaris</Emphasis> Hairy Root Culture in Simulated Conditions of Human Gastrointestinal Tract

Stability and radical scavenging activity of betalains, biosynthesized by Beta vulgaris hairy root culture were investigated at different pH values, bile salts concentration, as well as at the in vitro conditions of gastrointestinal tract. It was established that pH below 3 and concentrations of the bile salts up to 4% had no great influence on betalains stability. At the in vitro conditions of gastrointestinal tract betalains are relatively stable, as their radical scavenging activity decrease from 75% inhibition of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) to about 38%.