Department of Molecular Genetics, Crop Research Institute, Drnovská 507, 161 06 Prague-6, Ruzyně, Czech Republic.
Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Viale dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy.
Food Chem. 2018 Jun 15;251:103-109. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.12.090. Epub 2018 Jan 2.
Garlic is a valuable source of healthy compounds, including secondary metabolites rich in sulphur such as cysteine sulphoxides (CSOs). Here, we present new qRT-PCR assays analysing the transcription of two genes encoding key enzymes in CSO biosynthetic pathways (cysteine synthase and alliinase) in developing garlic. We also identified a set of genes (ACT I, GAPDH, and TUB) to use as transcription normalisation controls. We showed that the (normalised) transcription of both enzymes was highest during sprouting and decreased significantly in fully developed leaves, which are the major CSO-producing organs. Transcriptional activity further declined at the end of the growing season. Different cultivars show similar sulphur metabolism gene expression when European garlics were compared to Chinese and American genotypes. The qRT-PCR assays presented are also suitable for investigating the effects of agricultural practices on CSO formation in garlic to satisfy consumer demands.
大蒜是健康化合物的宝贵来源，包括富含硫的次生代谢物，如半胱氨酸亚砜（CSO）。在这里，我们提出了新的 qRT-PCR 分析方法，用于分析发育中的大蒜中两种编码 CSO 生物合成途径中关键酶的基因（半胱氨酸合酶和蒜氨酸酶）的转录。我们还鉴定了一组基因（ACT I、GAPDH 和 TUB）作为转录归一化对照。我们表明，两种酶的（归一化）转录在萌芽期间最高，在完全发育的叶片中显著降低，而叶片是主要的 CSO 产生器官。在生长季节结束时，转录活性进一步下降。当比较欧洲大蒜与中国和美国基因型时，不同的品种表现出相似的硫代谢基因表达。提出的 qRT-PCR 分析也适用于研究农业实践对大蒜中 CSO 形成的影响，以满足消费者的需求。
