Species determination and phylogenetic relationships of the genus Betula inferred from multiple chloroplast and nuclear regions reveal the high methyl salicylate-producing ability of the ancestor

Singewar, Kiran; Moschner, Christian R.; Hartung, Eberhard; Fladung, Matthias

doi:10.1007/s00468-020-01984-x

Cited by 7 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…The Betula species in Table 1, previously confirmed through barcoding and phylogenetic analyses [29], were used for SAMT and SABP2 candidate gene identification and a comparative analysis.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Almost all plants produce MeSA as a long-distance mobile signal in stress defense and as an SAR mechanism [1], including the birch species from the subgenus Betula (B. utilis, B. pendula, B. nana and B. alnoides), denoted "low MeSA producers" [29]. However, in addition to its role in immunity and the SAR signaling cascade, MeSA is produced constitutively in some winter green shrubs and birch species, and is therefore believed to be an important plant constituent [29,30]. Constitutive MeSA production is expressed by a natural sweet and strong scent and has medicinal and pharmaceutical significance [31][32][33].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Plantlet cultivation was implemented with the required dose of fertilizers in a glasshouse under natural daylight conditions at the Thünen-Institute of Forest Genetics, Grosshansdorf, Germany. The birch species previously confirmed through barcoding and phylogenetic analysis [29] were selected for this study (Table 1).…”

Section: Plant Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…MeSA-producing ability was classified according to monographic descriptions [22,[30][31][32]] and own analytical evidence, i.e. olfactory analysis following the scratching of the bark [29]: B. alleghaniensis, B. medwediewii, B. grossa, and B. lenta (subgenus: Aspera) were classified as high MeSA producers, while B. pendula, B. alnoides, B. uitilis, and B. nana (subgenus: Betula) were classified as low MeSA producers.…”

Section: Plant Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several species of the genus Betula (specifically the subgenus Aspera, section Lentae) are among the examples that constitutively produce high levels of MeSA [22,29,30]. A chemical analysis of birch extract (bark and leaf) revealed a concentration of between 49-99.8% of MeSA in the extracted essential oil constituents [31][32][33].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identification and analysis of key genes involved in methyl salicylate biosynthesis in different birch species

Singewar¹,

Moschner²,

Hartung³

et al. 2020

PLoS ONE

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Species of the perennial woody plant genus Betula dominate subalpine forests and play a significant role in preserving biological diversity. In addition to their conventional benefits, birches synthesize a wide range of secondary metabolites having pharmacological significance. Methyl salicylate (MeSA) is one of these naturally occurring compounds constitutively produced by different birch species. MeSA is therapeutically important in human medicine for muscle injuries and joint pain. However, MeSA is now mainly produced synthetically due to a lack of information relating to MeSA biosynthesis and regulation. In this study, we performed a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of two candidate genes mediating MeSA biosynthesis, SALICYLIC ACID METHYLTRANSFERASE (SAMT) and SALICYLIC ACID-BINDING PROTEIN 2 (SABP2), of high (B. lenta, B. alleghaniensis, B. medwediewii, and B. grossa) and low (B. pendula, B. utilis, B. alnoides, and B. nana) MeSA-producing birch species. Phylogenetic analyses of SAMT and SABP2 genes and homologous genes from other plant species confirmed their evolutionary relationships. Multiple sequence alignments of the amino acid revealed the occurrence of important residues for substrate specificity in SAMT and SABP2. The analysis of cis elements in different birches indicated a functional multiplicity of SAMT and SABP2 and provided insights into the regulation of both genes. We successfully developed six prominent single nucleotide substitution markers that were validated with 38 additional birch individuals to differentiate high and low MeSA-producing birch species. Relative tissue-specific expression analysis of SAMT in leaf and bark tissue of two high and two low MeSA-synthesizing birches revealed a high expression in the bark of both high MeSA-synthesizing birches. In contrast, SABP2 expression in tissues revealed indifferent levels of expression between species belonging to the two groups. The comparative expression and bioinformatics analyses provided vital information that could be used to apply plant genetic engineering technology in the mass production of organic MeSA.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Plant Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Plant Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identification and analysis of key genes involved in methyl salicylate biosynthesis in different birch species

Singewar¹,

Moschner²,

Hartung³

et al. 2020

PLoS ONE

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Methyl salicylate as a signaling compound that contributes to forest ecosystem stability

Singewar

Fladung²,

Robischon

2021

Trees

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Key message This review for the first time gathers the current state of knowledge on the role of plant and microbial methyl salicylate (MeSA) signaling processes in forest ecosystems. It aims to establish a basis for the use of high-MeSA-emitting trees as a silvicultural tool aiming to enhance stability and resilience in managed temperate forests affected by climate change. Abstract Methyl salicylate (MeSA) is a volatile plant and microbial signaling compound involved in systemic acquired resistance (SAR) and defense against pests and microbial pathogens, and antagonists. MeSA emitted by plants is also believed to trigger SAR in neighboring plant individuals, thus contributing to the resilience of the entire plant community. In this review, we discuss volatile plant-to-plant communication processes with a special focus on MeSA and provide an overview about the occurrence of MeSA in fungi and other microbes. We summarize present findings on the role of MeSA in plants and particularly in birches (Betula spp.) and discuss the potential use of MeSA and MeSA-emitting plants in agriculture and forestry. MeSA levels in plant tissues are adjusted by methylation of salicylic acid to MeSA and the reverse process of demethylation. Some plant species possess constitutively high MeSA levels and thus are suitable for experiments of admixture of high MeSA plants, e.g., birches of the subgenera Betulenta and Acuminata in plant communities such as mixed forests. Furthermore, knowledge of candidate genes and the molecular pathways underlying high MeSA emission is expected to offer a basis for altering MeSA levels and/or the selection of high MeSA mutants.

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Transcriptome analysis of North American sweet birch (Betula lenta) revealed a higher expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites than European silver birch (B. pendula)

Singewar

Kersten²,

Moschner

et al. 2021

J Plant Res

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The North American Betula lenta L. (sweet birch) has been used for medicinal reasons for centuries by native Americans. Although sophisticated technologies have rapidly been developed, a large information gap has been observed regarding genetic regulators of medicinally important compounds in sweet birch. Very little is known on the different genes involved in secondary metabolic biosynthesis in sweet birch. To gain a deeper insight into genetic factors, we performed a transcriptome analysis of each three biological samples from different independent trees of sweet and European silver birch (B. pendula Roth). This allowed us to precisely quantify the transcripts of about 24,000 expressed genes including 29 prominent candidate genes putatively involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites like terpenoids, and aromatic benzoic acids. A total number of 597 genes were differentially expressed between B. lenta and B. pendula, while 264 and 210 genes showed upregulation in the bark and leaf of B. lenta, respectively. Moreover, we identified 39 transcriptional regulatory elements, involved in secondary metabolite biosynthesis, upregulated in B. lenta. Our study demonstrated the potential of RNA sequencing to identify candidate genes interacting in secondary metabolite biosynthesis in sweet birch. The candidate genes identified in this study could be subjected to genetic engineering to functionally characterize them in sweet birch. This knowledge can be beneficial to the increase of therapeutically important compounds.

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Species determination and phylogenetic relationships of the genus Betula inferred from multiple chloroplast and nuclear regions reveal the high methyl salicylate-producing ability of the ancestor

Cited by 7 publications

References 60 publications

Identification and analysis of key genes involved in methyl salicylate biosynthesis in different birch species

Identification and analysis of key genes involved in methyl salicylate biosynthesis in different birch species

Methyl salicylate as a signaling compound that contributes to forest ecosystem stability

Transcriptome analysis of North American sweet birch (Betula lenta) revealed a higher expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites than European silver birch (B. pendula)

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