Project description:Helianthus tuberosus L., known as the Jerusalem Artichoke, is a hexaploid plant species, adapted to low nutrient soils, that accumulates high levels of inulin in its tubers. Inulin is a fructose-based polysaccharide used either as dietary fiber or for the production of bioethanol. Key enzymes involved in inulin biosynthesis are well known. However, the gene networks underpinning tuber development and inulin accumulation in H. tuberous remain elusive. To fill this gap, we selected 6,365 ESTs from a H. tuberosus library to set up a microarray platform and record their expression across three tuber developmental stages, when rhizomes start enlarging (T0), at maximum tuber elongation rate (T3) and at tuber physiological maturity (Tm), in “VR” and “K8-HS142”clones. The former was selected as an early tuberizing, the latter as a late-tuberizing clone. We quantified inulin and starch levels, and q-RT PCR confirmed the expression of key genes accounting for inulin biosynthesis. The microarray analysis revealed that the differences in morphological and physiological traits between tubers of the two clones are genetically determined since T0 and that is relatively low the number of differentially expressed ESTs across the stages shared between the clones (93). The expression of ESTs for sucrose:sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase (1-SST) and fructan:fructan 1-fructosyltransferase (1-FFT), the two critical genes for fructans polymerization, resulted to be temporarily synchronized and mirror the progress of inulin accumulation and stretching. The expression of ESTs for starch biosynthesis was insignificant throughout the developmental stages of the clones in line with the negligible level of starch into their mature tubers, where inulin was the dominant polysaccharide. Overall, our study disclosed candidate genes underpinning the development and storage of carbohydrates in the tubers of two H. tuberosus clones. A model according to which the steady state levels of 1-SST and 1-FFT transcripts are developmentally controlled and might represent a limiting factor for inulin accumulation has been provided. Our finding may have significant repercussions for breeding clones with improved levels of inulin for food and chemical industry.
Project description:Transcriptome analysis in natural Saccharomyces cerevisiae as function of fermentation stage. Strains used were the reference strain S288C, two (06L3FF02 and 06L6FF20) isolates from the Bairrada wine region, Portugal, three (Lalvin EC-1118, Lalvin ICV D254 and AEB Fermol Rouge) wine yeast obtained commercially and one (J940047) isolate from a human patient. Fermentation was carried out in synthetic must MS300, in semi-anaerobic conditions. Cells were harvested at six time-points during fermentation: early exponential growth (T1), mid-exponential growth (T2), diauxic shift (T3), early stationary growth (T4) Mid-stationary growth (T5) and end of fermentation (T6). Hybridizations were carried out using a common reference design, using RNA obtained from S288C at T2, in dye-swap replicates, and four self-self hybridizations were performed using the common reference sample for control of the experiment background, in a total of 88 hybridizations.
2010-06-24 | E-MTAB-112 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:16S sequencing of Jerusalem artichoke underground
| PRJNA1005442 | ENA
Project description:ITS sequencing of Jerusalem artichoke underground
Project description:The present research investigates a ‘medicinal’ plant Jerusalem artichoke (abbreviated as JA) (Helianthus tuberosus L.) tuber proteome with an aim to unravel its proteome using a high-throughput proteomics technique. Although JA has been historically know to the Native Americans, it was brought back and spread to Europe by the colonists and in the late 19th century early 20th century it began to regain importance including its use for health and as a folk remedy for diabetes. In Japan (referred to as ‘kiku-imo’) its cultivation became popular mostly for health-related benefits such as reducing the blood sugar level. The group of (Genboku Takahashi et al.) has been working on the cultivation and utilization of kiku-imo tuber as a traditional/alternative medicine in daily life, and thus the research progressed to deeply look into the protein components through proteomics as very less is known about the proteome of the tubers, especially in relation to its importance as a functional food in treating diseases health conditions like diabetes. Using three commercially processed JA tuber products we used total protein extraction on the powdered samples in conjunction with label-free quantitate proteomic approach (mass spectrometry) to identify for the first time a comprehensive protein list for the JA tuber. A total of 2967 high‐confidence proteins were identified and categorized into different protein classes through bioinformatics. We have discussed these proteins especially in relation to their association with health and disease regulatory metabolism.