Abstract
Phyla (Lippia) dulcis contains hernundulcin sesquiterpene zero-caloric sweetener that is about a thousand times sweeter than sucrose, and also bitter constituents including camphor and limonene. There is yet no simple method to remove the undesirable constituents. The yield of sweetener hernundulcin is very low, and there is no simple method to maximize its composition. The aim of the project was to characterize the mRNA targets that regulate the primary and terpenoid metabolic enzymes of P. dulcis. Restriction fragment differential display polymerase chain reaction of P. dulcis glutamate dehydrogenase-synthesized RNA showed that many mRNAs encoding β-caryophyllene, (+)-epi-α-bisabolol, bicyclogermacrene, bifunctional sesquiterpene, and geraniol synthases shared sequence homologies with ribulose-1,5-bisphophatase carboxylase, granule-bound starch synthase, pyruvate kinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and phosphoenol pyruvate carboxylase. Sequence similarities between mRNAs encoding primary metabolic enzymes and terpene synthases suggested that photosynthesis could regulate terpenoid metabolism in order to increase the yield of sweetener hernundulcin.
Highlights
Phyla (Lippia) dulcis (Verbenaceae) is a Central American plant used traditionally by Aztac peoples as herbal sweetener [1]
Efforts are in progress to remove the camphor from leaf extract through hydro-distillation [4], supercritical fluid extraction technology [5]; microbial degradation of the camphor [6]; hernandulcin production in yeast [7] [8]; and/or production of hernandulcin by hairy root/shoot culture of P. dulcis [9]
Prostate perennial medicinal herb with many branches, originally a South American sweet herb has been established in the medicinal plants garden of the University, Waller County, Texas, USA
Summary
Phyla (Lippia) dulcis (Verbenaceae) is a Central American plant used traditionally by Aztac peoples as herbal sweetener [1]. The Central American plant Phyla dulcis has two sesquiterpene sweetener constituents: hernandulcin and 4β-hydroxyhernandulcin which are 1000 times sweeter than sucrose [3]. As such, they have potential for use as natural low calorie sweeteners in the dietary management of diabetes/obesity. With the perfection of the genetic basis of yeast fermentation production of sesquiterpenes [8] accompanied by the detailed analytical chemistry of terpenes [6] [7] [10], it is logical to focus research attention on potential agricultural technologies for production of high-hernandulcin P. dulcis metabolic variants. The proof of the biochemical protocols for the GDH-based plants system research concept is the demonstration of the RNA synthetic activity [21] of P. dulcis GDH and characterization of the metabolic functions of the RNA as presented hereunder
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