The causal mutation leading to sweetness in modern white lupin cultivars

Occurrence of quinolizidine alkaloids and phomopsin A in lupin-containing foods: a two-year survey of the Belgian market

Lupin is a pulse crop valued for its protein content and potential as functional ingredient, e.g. in gluten-free foods. The presence of quinolizidine alkaloids (QAs) and phomopsins (PHO) has raised concerns, yet information regarding their occurrence remains limited. A two-year screening of QAs and PHO A in lupin-containing foods available on the Belgian market was conducted, based on a market study and risk-based sampling plan (n = 339). A UHPLC-MS/MS method was validated for the simultaneous quantification of seven QAs (i.e. sparteine, lupanine, lupinine, 13α-OH-lupanine, angustifoline, multiflorine and albine) and phomopsin A in relevant matrices. PHO A was not detected in any of the samples ( Collapse

Key Words

• LC-MS/MS
• Lupin
• market study
• mycotoxins
• plant toxins
• plant-based proteins

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MESH Headings

• Lupinus/chemistry
• Alkaloids/analysis
• Belgium
• Quinolizidines/analysis
• Food Contamination/analysis
• Tandem Mass Spectrometry
• Food Analysis
• Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
• Quinolizidine Alkaloids

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Affiliation(s)

Sofie Schryvers Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Bram Miserez Ciboris vzw, Zwijnaarde, Belgium
Jet Van De Steene Primoris Belgium, Zwijnaarde, Belgium
Mia Eeckhout Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Liesbeth Jacxsens Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

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Collaborators Collapse

Recent Advances in Molecular Tools and Pre-Breeding Activities in White Lupin (Lupinus albus)

The higher adaptation of landraces to local agroclimatic conditions resulting from natural and moderate artificial selection by farmers within specific environments makes them a crucial source of alleles and genotypes for cultivation and breeding programs. Unlike modern cultivars, which have been developed under more intense artificial selective pressures, landraces exhibit a broader genetic base that has been documented in landrace collections for many crops. This review provides an overview of the importance of genetic resource valorisation in legume species, focusing on cultivated species of the Lupinus genus, particularly white lupin (Lupinus albus). On the one hand, legumes, including Lupins, are considered a crucial alternative source of protein within the framework of more sustainable agriculture. On the other hand, they are often neglected species in terms of breeding efforts, despite receiving increasing attention in recent years. Here, we also report on the latest advances in the development of genomic tools, such as the novel pangenome of white lupin and the identification of markers and loci for target adaptation traits, such as tolerance to alkaline soils, which can effectively support the breeding of Lupinus albus, especially for the introgression of desirable alleles from locally adapted varieties.

Metabolic engineering of narrow-leafed lupin for the production of enantiomerically pure (-)-sparteine

The protein crops known as lupins have been bred to accumulate low levels of antinutritional alkaloids, neglecting their potential as sources of valuable metabolites. Here, we engineered narrow-leafed lupin (NLL) to accumulate large amounts of a single alkaloid of industrial interest called (-)-sparteine. While (-)-sparteine is recognized as a key auxiliary molecule in chiral synthesis, its variable price and limited availability have prevented its large-scale use. We identified two enzymes that initiate the conversion of (-)-sparteine to a variety of alkaloids accumulating in NLL. The first one is a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase belonging to family 71 (CYP71D189), and the second one is a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR1). We screened a non-GMO NLL mutant library and isolated a knockout in CYP71D189. The knockout displayed an altered metabolic profile where (-)-sparteine accounted for 96% of the alkaloid content in the seeds (GC-MS basis). The (-)-sparteine isolated from the mutant seeds was enantiomerically pure (99% enantiomeric excess). Apart from the altered alkaloid profile, the mutant did not have any noticeable phenotype. Our work demonstrates that (-)-sparteine is the precursor of most QAs in NLL and expands the current uses of NLL as a crop.

Development and validation of PCR marker array for molecular selection towards spring, vernalization-independent and winter, vernalization-responsive ecotypes of white lupin (Lupinus albus L.)

White lupin (Lupinus albus L.) is an ancient grain legume that is still undergoing improvement of domestication traits, including vernalization-responsiveness, providing frost tolerance and preventing winter flowering in autumn-sowing agriculture, and vernalization-independence, conferring drought escape by rapid flowering in spring-sowing. A recent genome-wide association study highlighted several loci significantly associated with the most contrasting phenotypes, including deletions in the promoter of the FLOWERING LOCUS T homolog, LalbFTc1, and some DArT-seq/silicoDArT loci. The present study aimed to develop and validate a versatile PCR marker array enabling molecular selection of spring- and winter-type white lupin ecotypes. Candidate DArT-seq and silicoDArT loci were transformed into cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) or derived CAPS markers. Developed markers, together with those previously published for LalbFTc1 INDELs and quantitative trait loci from linkage maps, were implemented for screening of white lupin germplasm panel subjected to 2-year phenotyping of phenology traits. Three DArT-seq, two silicoDArT and seven LalbFTc1 INDEL markers were positively validated, constituting a convenient PCR-based marker assay for rapid and accurate reselection of white lupin germplasm towards early flowering and thermoneutrality or late flowering and vernalization-responsiveness, as well as for tracking high genetic and phenotypic diversity within white lupin landraces, revealed in the present study.

The genome of Lupinus mutabilis: Evolution and genetics of an emerging bio-based crop

Lupinus mutabilis is an under-domesticated legume species from the Andean region of South America. It belongs to the New World lupins clade, which groups several lupin species displaying large genetic variation and adaptability to highly different environments. L. mutabilis is attracting interest as a potential multipurpose crop to diversify the European supply of plant proteins, increase agricultural biodiversity, and fulfill bio-based applications. This study reports the first high-quality L. mutabilis genome assembly, which is also the first sequenced assembly of a New World lupin species. Through comparative genomics and phylogenetics, the evolution of L. mutabilis within legumes and lupins is described, highlighting both genomic similarities and patterns specific to L. mutabilis, potentially linked to environmental adaptations. Furthermore, the assembly was used to study the genetics underlying important traits for the establishment of L. mutabilis as a novel crop, including protein and quinolizidine alkaloids contents in seeds, genomic patterns of classic resistance genes, and genomic properties of L. mutabilis mycorrhiza-related genes. These analyses pointed out copy number variation, differential genomic gene contexts, and gene family expansion through tandem duplications as likely important drivers of the genomic diversity observed for these traits between L. mutabilis and other lupins and legumes. Overall, the L. mutabilis genome assembly will be a valuable resource to conduct genetic research and enable genomic-based breeding approaches to turn L. mutabilis into a multipurpose legume crop.

Beyond co-expression: pathway discovery for plant pharmaceuticals

Plant natural products have been an important source of medicinal molecules since ancient times. To gain access to the whole diversity of these molecules for pharmaceutical applications, it is important to understand their biosynthetic origins. Whilst co-expression is a reliable tool for identifying gene candidates, a variety of complementary methods can aid in screening or refining candidate selection. Here, we review recently employed plant biosynthetic pathway discovery approaches, and highlight future directions in the field.