Abstract
The perennial leguminous herb Clitoria ternatea (butterfly pea) has attracted significant interest based on its agricultural and medical applications, which range from use as a fodder and nitrogen fixing crop, to applications in food coloring and cosmetics, traditional medicine and as a source of an eco-friendly insecticide. In this article we provide a broad multidisciplinary review that includes descriptions of the physical appearance, distribution, taxonomy, habitat, growth and propagation, phytochemical composition and applications of this plant. Notable amongst its repertoire of chemical components are anthocyanins which give C. ternatea flowers their characteristic blue color, and cyclotides, ultra-stable macrocyclic peptides that are present in all tissues of this plant. The latter are potent insecticidal molecules and are implicated as the bioactive agents in a plant extract used commercially as an insecticide. We include a description of the genetic origin of these peptides, which interestingly involve the co-option of an ancestral albumin gene to produce the cyclotide precursor protein. The biosynthesis step in which the cyclic peptide backbone is formed involves an asparaginyl endopeptidase, of which in C. ternatea is known as butelase-1. This enzyme is highly efficient in peptide ligation and has been the focus of many recent studies on peptide ligation and cyclization for biotechnological applications. The article concludes with some suggestions for future studies on this plant, including the need to explore possible synergies between the various peptidic and non-peptidic phytochemicals.
Highlights
Clitoria ternatea, commonly known as butterfly pea, is a perennial herbaceous plant from the Fabaceae family
The plant is readily grown in a range of habitats and there is wide opportunity for it to be used for rotational cropping to aid in soil nitrogen regeneration, as a fodder crop for cattle, or as source of novel phytochemicals
The butelase-1 enzyme derived from C. ternatea pods is creating a lot of interest as a biotechnological tool for peptide ligation and cyclization
Summary
Commonly known as butterfly pea, is a perennial herbaceous plant from the Fabaceae family It has recently attracted a lot of interest as it has potential applications both in modern medicine and agriculture, and as a source of natural food colorants and antioxidants. C. ternatea produces pinnate compound leaves that are obovate and entire with emarginate tips (Taur et al, 2010) (Figure 2C) The epidermis on both leaf surfaces consist of a single layer of cells protected by a thick cuticle and with trichome outgrowths (Taur et al, 2010). One of the impediments in propagating C. ternatea is its low seed germination rate This problem has long been recognized as evident in a study conducted in 1967 (Mullick and Chatterji, 1967).
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