Tamariscol biosynthesis in Frullania tamarisci.

The liverwort Frullania tamarisci (L.) Dumort produces large amounts of terpenoids, among others the sesquiterpene alcohol tamariscol. Tamariscol has an earthy woody fragrance, and the use in perfurmes and production of it was patented in 1984.

Heterologous Production of Artemisinin in by Direct in vivo Assembly of Multiple DNA Fragments.

The sesquiterpene lactone compound artemisinin is a natural medicinal product of commercial importance. This -derived secondary metabolite is well known for its antimalarial activity and has been studied in several other biological assays. However, the major shortcoming in its production and commercialization is its low accumulation in the native plant.

Lipidomic analysis of moss species and under cold stress.

Bryophytes, which lack lignin for protection, support themselves in harsh environments by producing various chemicals. In response to cold stress, lipids play a crucial role in cell adaptation and energy storage. Specifically, bryophytes survive at low temperatures by producing very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (vl-PUFAs).

Overexpression of Physcomitrium patens cell cycle regulators leads to larger gametophytes.

Regulation of cell division is crucial for the development of multicellular organisms, and in plants, this is in part regulated by the D-type cyclins (CYCD) and cyclin-dependent kinase A (CDKA) complex. Cell division regulation in Physcomitrium differs from other plants, by having cell division checks at both the G1 to S and G2 to M transition, controlled by the CYCD1/CDKA2 and CYCD2/CDKA1 complexes, respectively. This led us to hypothesize that upregulation of cell division could be archived in Bryophytes, without the devastating phenotypes observed in Arabidopsis.

Lipidomes of Icelandic bryophytes and screening of high contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids by using lipidomics approach.

Bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) have interested researchers because of their high chemical diversity and their potential uses in pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries. Specifically, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (l-PUFA) such as arachidonic acid (AA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are commonly found in bryophytes, but not in vascular plants. Bryophytes accumulate PUFAs in cold or even freezing temperature to keep the cell fluidity.

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Bryophytes Extracts in LPS-Stimulated RAW264.7 Murine Macrophages.

Bryophytes produce rare and bioactive compounds with a broad range of therapeutic potential, and many species are reported in ethnomedicinal uses. However, only a few studies have investigated their potential as natural anti-inflammatory drug candidate compounds. The present study investigates the anti-inflammatory effects of thirty-two species of bryophytes, including mosses and liverworts, on Raw 264.

Effects of extraction parameters on lipid profiling of mosses using UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS and multivariate data analysis.

Introduction: Non-target lipid profiling by using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS) has been used extensively in the past decades in plant studies. However, the lipidomes of bryophytes have only been scarcely studied, although they are the second largest group in plant kingdom.

Objectives: We evaluated the effects of different cell disruption methods (no disruption, shake, ultrasound, and bead beating), and storage conditions (air-dried, freeze-dried, and fresh frozen) of five moss species (including Racomitrium lanuginosum B and D, Philonotis fontana, Sphagnum teres, and Hylocomium splendens).

Collagenase and Tyrosinase Inhibitory Effect of Isolated Constituents from the Moss .

Mosses from the genus have been shown to contain rare benzonaphthoxanthenones compounds, and many of these have been reported to have important biological activities. In this study, extracts from were analyzed in vitro for their inhibitory properties on collagenase and tyrosinase activity, two important cosmetic target enzymes involved respectively in skin aging and pigmentation. The 70% ethanol extract showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect against collagenase (IC = 4.

Bio-Guided Fractionation and Molecular Networking Reveal Fatty Acids to Be Principal Anti-Parasitic Compounds in Nordic Seaweeds.

Widespread use of antimicrobial drugs has led to high levels of drug-resistance in pathogen populations and a need for novel sources of anti-bacterial and anti-parasitic compounds. Macroalgae (seaweed) are potentially a rich source of bioactive compounds, and several species have traditionally been used as vermifuges. Here, we investigated the anti-parasitic properties of four common cold-water Nordic seaweeds; (Rhodophyta), , and (Ochrophyta, Phaeophyceae).

From Plant to Patient: Thapsigargin, a Tool for Understanding Natural Product Chemistry, Total Syntheses, Biosynthesis, Taxonomy, ATPases, Cell Death, and Drug Development.

Thapsigargin, the first representative of the hexaoxygenated guaianolides, was isolated 40 years ago in order to understand the skin-irritant principles of the resin of the umbelliferous plant Thapsia garganica. The pronounced cytotoxicity of thapsigargin is caused by highly selective inhibition of the intracellular sarco-endoplasmic Ca-ATPase (SERCA) situated on the membrane of the endo- or sarcoplasmic reticulum. Thapsigargin is selective to the SERCA pump and to a minor extent the secretory pathway Ca/Mn ATPase (SPCA) pump.

Cellulase and Macerozyme-PEG-mediated Transformation of Moss Protoplasts.

This protocol describes the generation of protoplasts from protonemal tissue of the moss (syn. ), using Cellulase ONOZUKA R10 and Macerozyme R10, followed by polyethylene glycol (PEG) mediated transformation. The protonemal tissue grown in liquid suspension was harvested and treated with enzyme cocktails mix of 1.

Connecting moss lipid droplets to patchoulol biosynthesis.

Plant-derived terpenoids are extensively used in perfume, food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, and several attempts are being made to produce terpenes in heterologous hosts. Native hosts have evolved to accumulate large quantities of terpenes in specialized cells. However, heterologous cells lack the capacity needed to produce and store high amounts of non-native terpenes, leading to reduced growth and loss of volatile terpenes by evaporation.

Biosynthesis and Industrial Production of Androsteroids.

Steroids are a group of organic compounds that include sex hormones, adrenal cortical hormones, sterols, and phytosterols. In mammals, steroid biosynthesis starts from cholesterol via multiple steps to the final steroid and occurs in the gonads, adrenal glands, and placenta. This highly regulated pathway involves several cytochrome P450, as well as different dehydrogenases and reductases.

Stabilization of dhurrin biosynthetic enzymes from Sorghum bicolor using a natural deep eutectic solvent.

In recent years, ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have gained increasing attention due to their ability to extract and solubilize metabolites and biopolymers in quantities far beyond their solubility in oil and water. The hypothesis that naturally occurring metabolites are able to form a natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES), thereby constituting a third intracellular phase in addition to the aqueous and lipid phases, has prompted researchers to study the role of NADES in living systems. As an excellent solvent for specialized metabolites, formation of NADES in response to dehydration of plant cells could provide an appropriate environment for the functional storage of enzymes during drought.

Valuable Fatty Acids in Bryophytes-Production, Biosynthesis, Analysis and Applications.

Bryophytes (mosses, liverworts and hornworts) often produce high amounts of very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (vl-PUFAs) including arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4 △5,8,11,14) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 △5,8,11,14,17). The presence of vl-PUFAs is common for marine organisms such as algae, but rarely found in higher plants. This could indicate that bryophytes did not lose their marine origin completely when they landed into the non-aqueous environment.

Insights into Heterologous Biosynthesis of Arteannuin B and Artemisinin in .

Metabolic engineering is an integrated bioengineering approach, which has made considerable progress in producing terpenoids in plants and fermentable hosts. Here, the full biosynthetic pathway of artemisinin, originating from , was integrated into the moss . Different combinations of the five artemisinin biosynthesis genes were ectopically expressed in to study biosynthesis pathway activity, but also to ensure survival of successful transformants.

Exploring evolutionary theories of plant defence investment using field populations of the deadly carrot.

Background And Aims: There are a number of disparate models predicting variation in plant chemical defences between species, and within a single species over space and time. These can give conflicting predictions. Here we review a number of these theories, before assessing their power to predict the spatial-temporal variation of thapsigargins between and within populations of the deadly carrot (Thapsia garganica).

Biosynthesis of tovarol and other sesquiterpenoids in Thapsia laciniata Rouy.

The genus Thapsia produces a wide variety of sesquiterpenoids. The Mediterranean plant Thapsia laciniata Rouy is known to have a product profile that differs from several other species in the genus. Thus, the biosynthesis of sesquiterpenoids in Thapsia laciniata Rouy was investigated.

Use of a temporary immersion bioreactor system for the sustainable production of thapsigargin in shoot cultures of .

Background: Thapsigargin and nortrilobolide are sesquiterpene lactones found in the Mediterranean plant L. Thapsigargin is a potent inhibitor of the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase pump, inducing apoptosis in mammalian cells. This mechanism has been used to develop a thapsigargin-based cancer drug first by GenSpera and later Inspyr Therapeutics (Westlake Village, California).

Physcomitrella patens, a versatile synthetic biology chassis.

During three decades the moss Physcomitrella patens has been developed to a superb green cell factory with the first commercial products on the market. In the past three decades the moss P. patens has been developed from an obscure bryophyte to a model organism in basic biology, biotechnology, and synthetic biology.

Evaluation of synthetic promoters in Physcomitrella patens.

Securing a molecular toolbox including diverse promoters is essential for genome engineering. However, native promoters have limitations such as the available number or the length of the promoter. In this work, three short synthetic promoters were characterized by using the yellow fluorescent protein Venus.

Stable Production of the Antimalarial Drug Artemisinin in the Moss .

Malaria is a real and constant danger to nearly half of the world's population of 7.4 billion people. In 2015, 212 million cases were reported along with 429,000 estimated deaths.

Localization and in-Vivo Characterization of CYP76AE2 Indicates a Role in Thapsigargin Biosynthesis.

The Mediterranean plant (dicot, Apiaceae), also known as deadly carrot, produces the highly toxic compound thapsigargin. This compound is a potent inhibitor of the sarcoplasmic-endoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase calcium pump in mammals and is of industrial importance as the active moiety of the anticancer drug mipsagargin, currently in clinical trials. Knowledge of thapsigargin in planta storage and biosynthesis has been limited.