Project description:We did whole-genome methylation sequencing for 21 Vaccinium samples. This project attempts to analyze the improvement breeding process of cultivated blueberry from two aspects of heredity and epigenetic inheritance.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.), one of the least studied fruit crops in the Ericaceae family, has a dramatically increased worldwide demand due to its numerous health benefits. Genetic markers can facilitate the selection of berries with desirable climatic adaptations, agronomic and nutritious characteristics to improve cultivation programs. However, no genomic resources are available for this species. RESULTS:We used Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS) to analyze the genetic variation of 56 lingonberry samples from across Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. To elucidate a potential adaptation to environmental conditions we searched for genotype-environment associations by applying three distinct approaches to screen the identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for correlation with six environmental variables. We also searched for an association between the identified SNPs and two phenotypic traits: the total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity (AC) of fruit. We identified 1586 high-quality putative SNPs using the UNEAK pipeline available in TASSEL. We found 132 SNPs likely associated with at least one of the environmental or phenotypic variables. To obtain insights on the function of the genomic sequences containing the SNPs likely to be associated with the environmental or phenotypic variables, we performed a sequence-based functional annotation and identified homologous protein-coding sequences with functional roles related to abiotic stress response, pathogen defense, RNA metabolism, and, most interestingly, phenolic compound biosynthesis. CONCLUSIONS:The putative SNPs discovered are the first genomic resource for lingonberry. This resource might prove useful in high-density quantitative trait locus analysis, and association mapping. The identified candidate genes containing the SNPs need further studies on their potential role in local adaptation of lingonberry. Altogether, the present study provides new resources that can be used to breed for desirable traits in lingonberry.
Project description:Lingonberry leaves and fruits are associated with a range of potential bioactivities related to their phenolic content and composition, but the identification of major biological activity markers remains limited. The present study aimed at the isolation of lingonberry phenolic fractions and biological activity evaluation of them. Crude dry extracts of lingonberry leaves and fruits were fractionated by chromatography using Sephadex LH-20 and analyzed by validated HPLC-PDA method. For each fraction, the anticancer activity against human clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CaKi-1), human colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29), and human malignant melanoma (IGR39) cell lines was determined using MTT assay, and the radical scavenging, reducing, and chelating activities were investigated using ABTS, FRAP, and FIC assays, respectively. Further, 28 phenolics were identified and quantified in the crude extract of lingonberry leaves and 37 in the extract of fruits. These compounds, during fractionation steps, were selectively eluted into active fractions, enriched with different groups of phenolics-monophenols, anthocyanins, phenolic acids, catechins, flavonols, or proanthocyanidins. Fractions of lingonberry leaves and fruits, obtained by the last fractionation step, proved to be the most active against tested cancer cell lines and possessed the greatest antioxidant activity. In this perspective, the predominant compounds of these fractions-polymeric and mainly A-type dimeric proanthocyanidins-also quercetin can be considered to be anticancer and antioxidant activity markers of lingonberries.
Project description:Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. (lingonberry) fruits are promising sources of bioactive components with high potential in biomedical applications. Selection in plant breeding, determination of perspective wild clones with optimal growing conditions, and appropriate harvesting time leading to standardized extracts are key factors for achieving phytochemical quality to meet consumer's needs. In the present study, lingonberry fruits collected along different phenological stages and from different geographical locations were analyzed for the composition of 56 constituents using validated chromatographic techniques. Early stages of lingonberries vegetation were determined as the best stages for obtaining high levels of most phenolics and triterpenoids, while the end of berry vegetation could be chosen as the optimal harvesting time in terms of anthocyanins. Furthermore, intensified continuous biosynthesis of triterpenoids and phenolic acids precursors after vegetation season in the winter sample was observed. Chemodiversity of lingonberries was affected by geographical factors as well as climatic and edaphic conditions, indicating different favorable growing conditions for the accumulation of particular compounds. Present findings could serve for breeders to obtain the highest yields of desirable lingonberry constituents, relevant in food and pharmaceutical industries.