Elicitors, SA and MJ enhance carotenoids and tocopherol biosynthesis and expression of antioxidant related genes in Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves

• Published in: Acta physiologiae plantarum Vol. 36; no. 10; pp. 2695 - 2704
• Main Authors: Saini, R. K, Harish Prashanth, K. V, Shetty, N. P, Giridhar, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.10.2014; Springer Berlin Heidelberg
• Subjects: Agriculture; alpha-tocopherol; antioxidants; beta-carotene; Biomedical and Life Sciences; biosynthesis; chitosan; elicitors; foliar application; food plants; gamma-tocopherol; leaves; Life Sciences; lutein; lycopene; major genes; methyl jasmonate; Moringa oleifera; Original Paper; phytoene synthase; Plant Anatomy/Development; Plant Biochemistry; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Pathology; Plant Physiology; salicylic acid; Salicylic acid; γ-Tocopherol methyl transferase; Lycopene β-cyclase (LCY-β); Signaling molecules; Chitosan; Methyl jasmonate
• ISSN: 0137-5881; 1861-1664
• DOI: 10.1007/s11738-014-1640-7

Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves are rich source of carotenoids (provitamin A) and α-tocopherol (vitamin E), and there is a scope for their further enhancement, through elicitor mediation, thereby a great potential for addressing these vitamins deficiency. In the present study, we report the efficacy of foliar administration of biotic elicitors, carboxy-methyl chitosan and chitosan, and signaling molecules, methyl jasmonate (MJ) and salicylic acid (SA) for enhancement of major carotenoids and α-tocopherol. Highest α-tocopherol content of 49.7 mg/100 g FW was recorded upon foliar application of 0.1 mM SA after 24 h of treatment, which represented a 187.5 % increase in comparison to the untreated control. Similarly, a maximum of 52.6 mg/100 g FW lutein, and 21.8 mg/100 g FW β-carotene content were observed in leaves after 24 h of treatment with MJ, which represented a 54.0 and 20.3 % increase in comparison to the untreated control, respectively. Among the major genes of carotenoid biosynthetic pathway, the expression of lycopene β-cyclase (LCY-β) was maximum influenced after treatment with elicitors and signaling molecules, compared to phytoene synthase and phytoene desaturase, suggesting the LCY-β-mediated enhancement in the production of β-carotene in elicitor treated M. oleifera leaves. Enhanced production of α-tocopherol under respective elicitor treatment was further supported by 2.0–2.7 fold up-regulation of γ-tocopherol methyl transferase, compared to untreated control. This is the first report on elicitor-mediated enhanced production of tocopherol and carotenoids in foliage of economically important food plant.