Gene expression profile during seed development of Bixa orellana accessions varying in bixin pigment

Diverse morphological, cellular and physiological changes occur during seed maturation in Bixa orellana when the seed tissues form specialized cell glands that produce reddish latex with high bixin amounts. Transcriptomic profiling during seed development in three B. orellana accessions (P12, N4 and N5) with contrasting morphologic characteristics showed enrichment in pathways of triterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and cuticular wax biosynthesis. WGCNA allows groups of all identified genes in six modules the module turquoise, the largest and highly correlated with the bixin content. The high number of genes in this module suggests a diversification of regulatory mechanisms for bixin accumulation with the genes belonging to isoprene, triterpenes and carotene pathways, being more highly correlated with the bixin content. Analysis of key genes of the mevalonate (MVA) and the 2C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathways revealed specific activities of orthologs of BoHMGR, BoFFP, BoDXS, and BoHDR. This suggests that isoprenoid production is necessary for compounds included in the reddish latex of developing seeds. The carotenoid-related genes BoPSY2, BoPDS1 and BoZDS displayed a high correlation with bixin production, consistent with the requirement for carotene precursors for apocarotenoid biosynthesis. The BoCCD gene member (BoCCD4-4) and some BoALDH (ALDH2B7.2 and ALDH3I1) and BoMET (BoSABATH1 and BoSABATH8) gene members were highly correlated to bixin in the final seed development stage. This suggested a contributing role for several genes in apocarotenoid production. The results revealed high genetic complexity in the biosynthesis of reddish latex and bixin in specialized seed cell glands in different accessions of B. orellana suggesting gene expression coordination between both metabolite biosynthesis processes.

Identifying Bixa orellana L. New Carotenoid Cleavage Dioxygenases 1 and 4 Potentially Involved in Bixin Biosynthesis

Carotene cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs) are a large family of Fe²⁺ dependent enzymes responsible for the production of a wide variety of apocarotenoids, such as bixin. Among the natural apocarotenoids, bixin is second in economic importance. It has a red-orange color and is produced mainly in the seeds of B. orellana. The biosynthesis of bixin aldehyde from the oxidative cleavage of lycopene at 5,6/5',6' bonds by a CCD is considered the first step of bixin biosynthesis. Eight BoCCD (BoCCD1-1, BoCCD1-3, BoCCD1-4, CCD4-1, BoCCD4-2, BoCCD4-3 and BoCCD4-4) genes potentially involved in the first step of B. orellana bixin biosynthesis have been identified. However, the cleavage activity upon lycopene to produce bixin aldehyde has only been demonstrated for BoCCD1-1 and BoCCD4-3. Using in vivo (Escherichia coli) and in vitro approaches, we determined that the other identified BoCCDs enzymes (BoCCD1-3, BoCCD1-4, BoCCD4-1, BoCCD4-2, and BoCCD4-4) also participate in the biosynthesis of bixin aldehyde from lycopene. The LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS analysis showed a peak corresponding to bixin aldehyde (m/z 349.1) in pACCRT-EIB E. coli cells that express the BoCCD1 and BoCCD4 proteins, which was confirmed by in vitro enzymatic assay. Interestingly, in the in vivo assay of BoCCD1-4, BoCCD4-1, BoCCD4-2, and BoCCD4-4, bixin aldehyde was oxidized to norbixin (m/z 380.2), the second product of the bixin biosynthesis pathway. In silico analysis also showed that BoCCD1 and BoCCD4 proteins encode functional dioxygenases that can use lycopene as substrate. The production of bixin aldehyde and norbixin was corroborated based on their ion fragmentation pattern, as well as by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. This work made it possible to clarify at the same time the first and second steps of the bixin biosynthesis pathway that had not been evaluated for a long time.