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Hans B, Balažová E, Dokupilová S, Mikuš P, Balažová A, Kubíková R, Obložinský M. Wounding and Phospholipase C Inhibition: Evaluation of the Alkaloid Profiling in Opium Poppy. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2025; 14:1413. [PMID: 40430979 PMCID: PMC12114792 DOI: 10.3390/plants14101413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2025] [Revised: 04/25/2025] [Accepted: 05/06/2025] [Indexed: 05/29/2025]
Abstract
Wounding triggers complex secondary metabolic pathways in plants, including benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (BIA) biosynthesis in opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.). This study explores transcriptional and metabolic responses to wounding and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment, focusing on BIA biosynthesis and regulatory mechanisms. Real-time expression analysis revealed significant up-regulation of transcripts in the (S)-reticuline and papaverine biosynthetic pathway, while the noscapine pathway was suppressed. The morphinan pathway also showed transcriptional activation, except in the case of codeinone reductase (COR), which remained unresponsive to both wounding and MeJA, suggesting a partially uncoupled mechanism. Metabolite profiling using HPLC-MS demonstrated a rapid accumulation of morphine post wounding, further supporting the hypothesis of independent regulatory control over COR. The role of phospholipase C (PLC) in modulating wound-induced BIA accumulation was investigated, revealing that PLC inhibition reduced morphine production and suppressed COR expression. These findings highlight the importance of phospholipid-dependent signalling in activating morphine biosynthesis, potentially at the expense of other BIAs. This study provides insights into plant stress responses and suggests strategies for enhancing BIA production through targeted interventions, offering potential applications in improving alkaloid yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbora Hans
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Kalinčiakova 8, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia; (B.H.); (E.B.); (A.B.); (M.O.)
| | - Ema Balažová
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Kalinčiakova 8, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia; (B.H.); (E.B.); (A.B.); (M.O.)
| | - Svetlana Dokupilová
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis and Nuclear Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojárov 10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia; (S.D.); (P.M.)
- Toxicologic and Antidoping Centre, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojárov 10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Peter Mikuš
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis and Nuclear Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojárov 10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia; (S.D.); (P.M.)
- Toxicologic and Antidoping Centre, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojárov 10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Andrea Balažová
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Kalinčiakova 8, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia; (B.H.); (E.B.); (A.B.); (M.O.)
| | - Renáta Kubíková
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Kalinčiakova 8, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia; (B.H.); (E.B.); (A.B.); (M.O.)
| | - Marek Obložinský
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Kalinčiakova 8, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia; (B.H.); (E.B.); (A.B.); (M.O.)
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Aghaali Z, Naghavi MR. Developing benzylisoquinoline alkaloid-enriched opium poppy via CRISPR-directed genome editing: A review. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 24:700. [PMID: 39048937 PMCID: PMC11267691 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05412-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Among plant-derived secondary metabolites are benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) that play a vital role in medicine. The most conspicuous BIAs frequently found in opium poppy are morphine, codeine, thebaine, papaverine, sanguinarine, and noscapine. BIAs have provided abundant clinically useful drugs used in the treatment of various diseases and ailments With an increasing demand for these herbal remedies, genetic improvement of poppy plants appears to be essential to live up to the expectations of the pharmaceutical industry. With the advent of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated9 (Cas9), the field of metabolic engineering has undergone a paradigm shift in its approach due to its appealing attributes, such as the transgene-free editing capability, precision, selectivity, robustness, and versatility. The potentiality of the CRISPR system for manipulating metabolic pathways in opium poppy was demonstrated, but further investigations regarding the use of CRISPR in BIA pathway engineering should be undertaken to develop opium poppy into a bioreactor synthesizing BIAs at the industrial-scale levels. In this regard, the recruitment of RNA-guided genome editing for knocking out miRNAs, flower responsible genes, genes involved in competitive pathways, and base editing are described. The approaches presented here have never been suggested or applied in opium poppy so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Aghaali
- Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Naghavi
- Division of Plant Biotechnology, Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, College of Agricultural and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.
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