Journal
PHYTOCHEMISTRY
Volume 71, Issue 5-6, Pages 559-566Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2010.01.010
Keywords
Camellia sinensis; Theaceae; Tea seedlings; Flavan-3-ols (aka catechins) (-)-Epigallocatechin gallate; Distribution; Biosynthesis; Gene expression
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The distribution of phenolic compounds in young and developing leaves, stems, main and lateral roots and cotyledons of 8-week-old tea (Camellia sinensis) seedlings was investigated using HPLC-MS2. Fourteen compounds, flavan-3-ols, chlorogenic acids, and kaempferol-O-glycosides, were identified on the basis of their retention time, absorbance spectrum, and MS fragmentation pattern. The major phenolics were (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate and (-)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate, located principally in the green parts of the seedlings. Considerable amounts of radioactivity from [ring-C-14]phenylalanine were incorporated in (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, (-)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, by tissues of young and developing leaves and stems. Expression of genes encoding enzymes involved in flavan-3-ol biosynthesis, CHS, CHI, F3H, F3'5'H, DFR, ANS, ANR and MR was investigated. Transcripts of all genes, except MR, were more abundant in leaves and stems than in roots and cotyledons. No significant difference was found in the amount of transcript of MR. These findings indicate that in tea seedlings flavan-3-ols are produced by a naringenin-chalcone naringenin dihydrokaempferol pathway. Dihydrokaempferol is a branch point in the synthesis of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate and other flavan-3-ols which can be formed by routes beginning with either a flavonoid 3'-hydroxylase mediated conversion of the flavonol to dihydroquercetin or a flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylase-catalysed conversion to dihydromyricetin with subsequent steps involving sequential reactions catalysed by dihydroflavanol 4-reductase, anthocyanidin synthase, anthocyanidin reductase and flavan-3-ol gallate synthase. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available