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Expression of Withania somnifera Steroidal Glucosyltransferase gene Enhances Withanolide Content in Hairy Roots

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Abstract

In Withania somnifera, sterol molecules of immense medicinal value are diversified by means of glycosylation. Identifying sterol glycosyltransferases provides an imperative insight of diverse sterol modifications, thereby helping to comprehend the underlying plant mechanisms. In the present study, one of the W. somnifera sterol glycosyltransferase-4 (Ws-Sgtl4) gene was transformed into the W. somnifera leaf explant through Agrobacterium rhizogene. Transformed W. Somnifera Ws-Sgtl4 leaf explants were subjected to hairy root induction and analyzed for biomass accumulation. The analysis of Ws-Sgtl4 gene expression was performed at different time exposures with the application of salicylic acid and methyl jasmonate. The elicitation of W. somnifera hairy root expressing the Ws-Sgtl4 gene was also evaluated for the enhancement if any, in the total withanolide yield as well as the withanolides-A contents. The results suggested that Ws-Sgtl4 gene expression enhanced the production of total withanolide yield and withanolides-A in the hairy root culture of W. somnifera in the response to the elicitors.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Director, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India, for providing the research facilities.

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    1. Plant Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering Division, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, 226001, Uttar Pradesh, India

      Vibha Pandey, Rakesh Srivastava, Nehal Akhtar, Jyoti Mishra, Pratibha Mishra & Praveen C. Verma

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    1. Vibha Pandey
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    2. Rakesh Srivastava
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    Correspondence to Praveen C. Verma.

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    Vibha Pandey and Rakesh Srivastava contributed equally to this work.

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    Table S1

    Primer used in the experiments. (DOCX 17 kb)

    Fig. S1

    Domain analysis and phylogenetic relationship of Ws-SGTL4 proteins among various members of the plants. (PPTX 513 kb)

    Fig. S2

    Alignment between Arabidopsis thaliana and W. somnifera Sterol glycosyltransferases proteins. (PPTX 611 kb)

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    Pandey, V., Srivastava, R., Akhtar, N. et al. Expression of Withania somnifera Steroidal Glucosyltransferase gene Enhances Withanolide Content in Hairy Roots. Plant Mol Biol Rep 34, 681–689 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11105-015-0955-x

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