Utilization of the genetic resources of wild species to create a nontransgenic high flavonoid tomato.

Flavonoids represent a large and important group of plant natural products that are ubiquitous in the plant kingdom. Epidemiological studies have shown the health benefits of a diet high in flavonoids. However, the dietary intake of flavonoids in most western populations is limited, creating a need to find alternative food sources for these polyphenolic secondary metabolites.

Bio-fermentation of modified flavonoids: an example of in vivo diversification of secondary metabolites.

A bio-fermentation technique was used for the in vivo diversification of flavonoid structures based on expression in Escherichia coli of six O-methyltransferases (OMTs) from Mentha x piperita and one O-glucosyltransferase (GT) each from Arabidopsis thaliana and Allium cepa. Enzymes were shown to be regio-specific in in vitro experiments and modified a broad range of flavonoid substrates at various positions. Using the flavonol quercetin as a model substrate, we show that the product spectrum produced with the in vivo approach is identical to that found in vitro.

Cloning and regiospecificity studies of two flavonoid glucosyltransferases from Allium cepa.

Two UDP-glucose-dependent flavonoid glucosyltransferases (EC 2.4.1.