Characterization of a glucosyltransferase enzyme involved in the formation of kaempferol and quercetin sophorosides in Crocus sativus.

UGT707B1 is a new glucosyltransferase isolated from saffron (Crocus sativus) that localizes to the cytoplasm and the nucleus of stigma and tepal cells. UGT707B1 transcripts were detected in the stigma tissue of all the Crocus species analyzed, but expression analysis of UGT707B1 in tepals revealed its absence in certain species. The analysis of the glucosylated flavonoids present in Crocus tepals reveals the presence of two major flavonoid compounds in saffron: kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-2)-β-D-glucopyranoside and quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-2)-β-D-glucopyranoside, both of which were absent from the tepals of those Crocus species that did not express UGT707B1.

Developmental and stress regulation of gene expression for a 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase, CstNCED, isolated from Crocus sativus stigmas.

Oxidative cleavage of cis-epoxycarotenoids by 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) is the critical step in the regulation of abscisic acid (ABA) synthesis in higher plants. ABA has been associated with dormancy and flower senescence, while also regulating plant adaptive responses to various environmental stresses. An NCED gene, CstNCED, was cloned from Crocus sativus stigmas.

Genomic analysis and gene structure of the plant carotenoid dioxygenase 4 family: a deeper study in Crocus sativus and its allies.

The plastoglobule-targeted enzyme carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD4) mediates the formation of volatile C13 ketones, such as β-ionone, by cleaving the C9-C10 and C9'-C10' double bonds of cyclic carotenoids. Here, we report the isolation and analysis of CCD4 genomic DNA regions in Crocus sativus. Different CCD4 alleles have been identified: CsCCD4a which is found with and without an intron and CsCCD4b that showed the presence of a unique intron.

Crocins transport in Crocus sativus: the long road from a senescent stigma to a newborn corm.

Saffron, the desiccated stigmas of Crocus sativus, is highly appreciated by its peculiar colour, flavour and aroma. The main compounds that accumulated throughout stigma development in C. sativus are crocetin, its glucoside derivatives, crocins, and picrocrocin, all of which increased as stigmas reached a fully developed stage.