Genetic transformation and elicitation to obtain medicinal compounds in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) and in Bituminaria bituminosa (L.) Stirt

Abstract

Plants have been used for centuries in traditional medicine due to the properties of their secondary metabolites (SMs) as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, chemicals or nutraceuticals. For a long time, the production of SMs has only been achieved through the field cultivation of medicinal plants. However, in most cases the active natural product is present at low levels, or is accumulated only in a specific tissue and at a specific vegetative growth stage or under certain environmental conditions, which complicates its extraction. Furthermore, collecting material from the wild is not always feasible and the over-collection could provoke the habitat destruction. Plant Biotechnology is an alternative to produce SMs on a large-scale, and to ensure the conservation and multiplication of interesting plants with active molecules. The phenolic compounds trans-resveratrol and furanocoumarins are among the relevant SMs reported as interesting for human health. Resveratrol exhibits antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties and prevents cardiovascular diseases. Furanocoumarins are used for the treatment of skin disorders (psoriasis and vitiligo), and show anti-mutagenic and anti-microbial activities. Two different natural sources of these compounds are known: Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) and Bituminaria bituminosa (L.) Stirt. (Fabaceae) as trans-resveratrol and furanocoumarin producers respectively. Genomic and plant tissue culture techniques have been developed for grapevine but not for B. bituminosa. In the present thesis, biotechnological tools have been successfully developed for the production of those SMs: (1) genetic modification with the stilbene synthase (Vst1) gene and plant regeneration of grapevine (cv. Sugraone) for over-producing trans-resveratrol and (2) plant tissue culture and elicitation techniques for furanocoumarin over-production, and genetic tools for genetic variability studies in B. bituminosa.