The comparative analysis of stilbene production in cell cultures of two East Asian grape species Vitis amurensis Rupr. and Vitis coignetiae Pulliat

Abstract

Two East Asian grape species Vitis amurensis and Vitis coignetiae have been investigated for their increased cold and drought tolerance and high level of resistance to infections. Nowadays, the grape species attract attention due to their capability to produce a group of valuable plant secondary metabolites named stilbenes. The basic stilbene, t-resveratrol, is known to demonstrate a high bioactivity and is synthesized by stilbene synthase (STS) in grape cells. In order to find the suitable biological model for t-resveratrol production, 12 cell culture lines derived from the leaf, petiole and stem explants of the East Asian grape species were tested for their ability to produce t-resveratrol and other stilbenes. The comparative analysis showed that the V. coignetiae cell culture lines were the most productive in terms of stilbene content. This observation was confirmed by the increased level of STS expression in V. coignetiae cells in comparison to V. amurensis. The expression analysis of the genes encoding transcription factors potentially involved in regulation of STS genes revealed the significant species-specific differences, suggesting the molecular basis underlying the observed differences in stilbene biosynthetic potential of V. amurensis and V. coignetiae. The comparative analysis revealed the greater stilbene production potential for cells of V. coignetiae due to enhanced STS expression determinated by Myb1/15, Myb40 and Myb60 transcription factors.