Five different clones encoding thioredoxin homologues were isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA libraries. On the basis of the sequences they encode divergent proteins, but all belong to the cytoplasmic thioredoxins h previously described in higher plants. The five proteins obtained by overexpressing the coding sequences in Escherichia coli present typical thioredoxin activities (NADP+-malate dehydrogenase activation and reduction by Arabidopsis thioredoxin reductase) despite the presence of a variant active site, Trp-Cys-Pro-Pro-Cys, in three proteins in place of the canonical Trp-Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys sequence described for thioredoxins in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Southern blots show that each cDNA is encoded by a single gene but suggest the presence of additional related sequences in theArabidopsis genome. This very complex diversity of thioredoxins h is probably common to all higher plants, since the Arabidopsis sequences appear to have diverged very early, at the beginning of plant speciation. This diversity allows the transduction of a redox signal into multiple pathways.Thioredoxins are small proteins (105-120 aa) that contain the strictly conserved sequence Trp-Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys (1). The reduced cysteine pair forms a very reactive center able to disrupt the disulfide bridge of target proteins. In vivo, thioredoxins are reduced by a thioredoxin reductase. Thioredoxins have been isolated from prokaryotes and eukaryotes, including vertebrates, invertebrates, and fungi (2, 3, 41). Higher plants present two independent thioredoxin systems: the chloroplastic system consists of two nuclear gene-encoded proteins, thioredoxins m and f, which are reduced by a ferredoxindependent thioredoxin reductase (4, 5), and regulates the dark/light-related cycles (6, 7). In addition, the presence of a thioredoxin h system that is reduced by an NADP-dependent thioredoxin reductase was demonstrated some years ago in heterotrophic plant tissues (8, 9), but the first sequences for plant thioredoxins h (10-13) and NADP-dependent thioredoxin reductase (14) were obtained only recently. In this paper, we show that the Arabidopsis thaliana genome encodes at least five very divergent thioredoxin h genes, § a situation similar to the one of Dictyostelium discoideum (15) The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. Toulouse) were subcultured every 2 weeks by 10-fold dilution in B5 medium (42) with sucrose (20 mg/ml) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (1 ,ug/ml) and collected after 3 days of subculture (growth phase). Primary calli (seeds germinated on the callus medium) and established calli (the cell suspension grown on the callus medium) were grown for 1 month on the same medium solidified with 0.8% agar. In vitro plantlets were obtained from seeds germinated and cultivated in vitro for 1 month on the callus medium lacking 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Mesophyll pr...

BackgroundBixin or annatto is a commercially important natural orange-red pigment derived from lycopene that is produced and stored in seeds of Bixa orellana L. An enzymatic pathway for bixin biosynthesis was inferred from homology of putative proteins encoded by differentially expressed seed cDNAs. Some activities were later validated in a heterologous system. Nevertheless, much of the pathway remains to be clarified. For example, it is essential to identify the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) and carotenoid pathways genes.ResultsIn order to investigate the MEP, carotenoid, and bixin pathways genes, total RNA from young leaves and two different developmental stages of seeds from B. orellana were used for the construction of indexed mRNA libraries, sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform and assembled de novo using Velvet, CLC Genomics Workbench and CAP3 software. A total of 52,549 contigs were obtained with average length of 1,924 bp. Two phylogenetic analyses of inferred proteins, in one case encoded by thirteen general, single-copy cDNAs, in the other from carotenoid and MEP cDNAs, indicated that B. orellana is closely related to sister Malvales species cacao and cotton. Using homology, we identified 7 and 14 core gene products from the MEP and carotenoid pathways, respectively. Surprisingly, previously defined bixin pathway cDNAs were not present in our transcriptome. Here we propose a new set of gene products involved in bixin pathway.ConclusionThe identification and qRT-PCR quantification of cDNAs involved in annatto production suggest a hypothetical model for bixin biosynthesis that involve coordinated activation of some MEP, carotenoid and bixin pathway genes. These findings provide a better understanding of the mechanisms regulating these pathways and will facilitate the genetic improvement of B. orellana.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-2065-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Bixa orellana (family Bixaceae) is a neotropical fast growing perennial tree of great agro-industrial value because its seeds have a high carotenoid content, mainly bixin. It has been used since pre-colonial times as a culinary colorant and spice, and for healing purposes. It is currently used as a natural pigment in the food, in pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries, and it is commercially known as annatto. Recently, several studies have addressed the biological and medical properties of this natural pigment, both as potential source of new drugs or because its ingestion as a condiment or diet supplement may protect against several diseases. The most documented properties are anti-oxidative; but its anti-cancer, hypoglucemic, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties are also being studied. Bixin’s pathway elucidation and its regulation mechanisms are critical to improve the produce of this important carotenoid. Even though the bixin pathway has been established, the regulation of the genes involved in bixin production remains largely unknown. Our laboratory recently published B. orellana’s transcriptome and we have identified most of its MEP (methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate) and carotenoid pathway genes. Annatto is a potential source of new drugs and can be a valuable nutraceutical supplement. However, its nutritional and healing properties require further study.

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Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs) are a class of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of a broad diversity of secondary metabolites known as apocarotenoids. In plants, CCDs are part of a genetic family with members which cleave specific double bonds of carotenoid molecules. CCDs are involved in the production of diverse and important metabolites such as vitamin A and abscisic acid (ABA). Bixa orellana L. is the main source of the natural pigment annatto or bixin, an apocarotenoid accumulated in large quantities in its seeds. Bixin biosynthesis has been studied and the involvement of a CCD has been confirmed in vitro. However, the CCD genes involved in the biosynthesis of the wide variety of apocarotenoids found in this plant have not been well documented. In this study, a new CCD1 gene member (BoCCD1) was identified and its expression was charaterized in different plant tissues of B. orellana plantlets and adult plants. The BoCCD1 sequence showed high homology with plant CCD1s involved mainly in the cleavage of carotenoids in several sites to generate multiple apocarotenoid products. Here, the expression profiles of the BoCCD1 gene were analysed and discussed in relation to total carotenoids and other important apocarotenoids such as bixin.

Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs) are enzymes that have been implicated in the biosynthesis of a wide diversity of secondary metabolites with important economic value, including bixin. Bixin is the second most used pigment in the world’s food industry worldwide, and its main source is the aril of achiote (Bixa orellana L.) seeds. A recent transcriptome analysis of B. orellana identified a new set of eight CCD members (BoCCD4s and BoCCD1s) potentially involved in bixin synthesis. We used several approaches in order to discriminate the best candidates with CCDs genes. A reverse transcription-PCR (RT-qPCR) expression analysis was carried out in five developmental stages of two accessions of B. orellana seeds with different bixin contents: (P13W, low bixin producer and N4P, high bixin producer). The results showed that three BoCCDs (BoCCD4-1, BoCCD4-3, and BoCCD1-1) had an expression pattern consistent with bixin accumulation during seed development. Additionally, an alignment of the CCD enzyme family and homology models of proteins were generated to verify whether the newly proposed CCD enzymes were bona fide CCDs. The study confirmed that these three enzymes were well-preserved and belonged to the CCD family. In a second selection round, the three CCD genes were analyzed by in situ RT-qPCR in seed tissue. Results indicated that BoCCD4-3 and BoCCD1-1 exhibited tissue-specific expressions in the seed aril. To test whether the two selected CCDs had enzymatic activity, they were expressed in Escherichia coli; activity was determined by identifying their products in the crude extract using UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS. The cleavage product (bixin aldehyde) was also analyzed by Fourier transform infrared. The results indicated that both BoCCD4-3 and BoCCD1-1 cleave lycopene in vitro at 5,6-5′,6′.

The sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) technique, aimed for the amplification of open reading frames (ORFs), vis-â-vis that of the amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) were used to analyze the genetic variation and relationships among forty Musa accessions; which include commercial cultivars and wild species of interest for the genetic enhancement of Musa. A total of 403 SRAP and 837 AFLP amplicons were generated by 10 SRAP and 15 AFLP primer combinations, of which 353 and 787 bands were polymorphic, respectively. Both cluster analysis of unweighted pair-grouping method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) and principal coordinate (PCO) analysis separated the forty accessions into their recognized sections (Eumusa, Australimusa, Callimusa and Rhodochlamys) and species. The percentage of polymorphism amongst sections and species and the relationships within Eumusa species and subspecies varied between the two marker systems. In addition to its practical simplicity, SRAP exhibited approximately threefold more specific and unique bands than AFLP, 37 and 13%, respectively. SRAP markers are demonstrated here to be proficient tools for discriminating amongst M. acuminata, M. balbisiana and M. schizocarpa in the Eumusa section, as well as between plantains and cooking bananas within triploid cultivars.