Clarification of accumulation mechanism of ascorbic acid into fruit of tropical plant acerola.

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24580143
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Applied biochemistry
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: ESAKA Muneharu 広島大学, 生物圏科学研究科, 教授 (70151975)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): FUJIKAWA Yukichi 広島大学, 生物圏科学研究科, 講師 (10506687)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: アスコルビン酸 / ビタミンC / アセロラ / 遺伝子発現 / 遺伝子組換え / 酵素 / 転写調節 / シロイヌナズナ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Acerola (Malpighia glabra), a myrtaceous fruit with an abundance of ascorbic acid is an excellent candidate for this. Ascorbic acid content in acerola fruit is about 50-fold that in lemon fruit. This study has focused on molecular mechanisms on ascorbic acid biosynthesis and accumulation in acerola fruit. The cDNA clones for ascorbic acid biosynthesizing enzymes have been isolated. The gene expression pattern of ascorbic acid biosynthesizing enzymes have been analyzed in acerola. The genomic genes for ascorbic acid biosynthesizing enzymes in acerola have also been cloned. Furthermore, in this study, the promoter fragments of genes for ascorbic acid biosynthesizing enzymes in acerola have been analyzed. Also, the effect of overexpression of the ascorbic acid biosynthesizing enzymes on the biosynthesis of ascorbic acid has been studied. Finally, transgenic tobacco plants with higher ascorbic acid contents have been generated.

Free Research Field

応用生物化学