@article{d87d6b9bd1744f7bbc5bad2f8f2b5d40,
title = "Transcriptomic analyses of cacao flavonoids produced in photobioreactors",
abstract = "Background: Theobroma cacao is a major source of flavonoids such as catechins and their monomers proanthocyanidins (PAs), widely studied for their potential benefits in cardiovascular diseases. Light has been shown to promote plant secondary metabolite production in vitro. In this study, cacao cells cultured in 7.5 L stirred tank photobioreactors (STPs) were exposed to a change of white to blue LED lights for 28 days (d). Results: Transcriptomic analyses were performed in three time points comparing changing expression patterns, after cell exposure to white light (d0-VS-d14), after a shift from white to blue light (d14-VS-d15), and after an extended period of blue light for the following 15 days (d15-VS-d28). Under white light, there was enrichment in metabolic pathways associated with cell growth (carbon, glycolysis, and amino acid biosynthesis) accompanied by a significant increase in the PAs content. In the shift to blue light, further increase in PAs content was observed concomitantly with the significant expression of TWO-COMPONENT RESPONSE REGULATOR genes involved in the early stress responses via circadian clock and hormone pathways. Under blue light exposure, we observed a depletion of PAs content associated with ROS-mediated stress pathways. Conclusions: Light effects on large-scale cell cultures in photobioreactors are complex and pleiotropic; however, we have been able to identify key regulatory players upstream cacao flavonoid biosynthesis in STPs, including TWO-COMPONENT SYSTEM and ROS-signaling genes. The crosstalk between flavonoid biosynthesis and regulatory networks led to understand the dynamics of flavonoid production and degradation in response to light-driven ROS signals. This can be used to optimize the time, and the yield of in vitro targeted metabolites in large-scale culture systems.",
author = "Gallego, {Adriana M.} and Rojas, {Luisa F.} and Valencia, {Wilmar G.} and Luc{\'i}a Atehort{\'u}a and Urrea, {Aura I.} and Fister, {Andrew S.} and Guiltinan, {Mark J.} and Maximova, {Siela N.} and Natalia Pab{\'o}n-Mora",
note = "Funding Information: We thank Ruta N Corporation, Compa{\~n}{\'i}a Nacional de Chocolates and Universidad de Antioquia, and Convocatorias de Sostenibilidad 2017-2018 for funding. We also thank the support to The Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences, the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, the Penn State Endowed Program in the Molecular Biology of Cacao, and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Federal Appropriations under Project PEN04569 and Accession Number 1003147. We also thank the Biotecnolog{\'i}a group, especially to Johanna Hurtado, Oriana Parra, Isabel Restrepo, and Cristian Correa for their contribution to the bioreactor experiments and analysis. We also thank the Evo-Devo en Plantas group, the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Facilities at Penn State University (PSU), for the support provided with the bioinformatic analyses. We thank the members of the Guiltinan-Maximova lab at PSU, for providing laboratory and office space for the research. Funding Information: This research was financed thanks to Ruta N Corporation (Project number C007 granted), Universidad de Antioquia and Compa{\~n}{\'i}a Nacional de Chocolates and Convocatorias de Sostenibilidad 2017-2018. This work was also supported by The Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences, the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, the Penn State Endowed Program in Molecular Biology of Cacao, and by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Federal Appropriations under Project PEN04569 and Accession number 1003147.The funding bodies played no role in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript. Funding Information: We thank Ruta N Corporation, Compa{\~n}{\'i}a Nacional de Chocolates and Universidad de Antioquia, and Convocatorias de Sostenibilidad 2017-2018 for funding. We also thank the support to The Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences, the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, the Penn State Endowed Program in the Molecular Biology of Cacao, and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Federal Appropriations under Project PEN04569 and Accession Number 1003147. We also thank the Biotecnolog{\'i}a group, especially to Johanna Hurtado, Oriana Parra, Isabel Restrepo, and Cristian Correa for their contribution to the bioreactor experiments and analysis. We also thank the Evo-Devo en Plantas group, the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Facilities at Penn State University (PSU), for the support provided with the bioinformatic analyses. We thank the members of the Guiltinan-Maximova lab at PSU, for providing laboratory and office space for the research. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, The Author(s).",
year = "2021",
month = dec,
doi = "10.1186/s12864-021-07871-0",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "22",
journal = "BMC genomics",
issn = "1471-2164",
publisher = "BioMed Central Ltd.",
number = "1",
}