著者
Masafumi Omori Yosuke Fujiwara Hisayo Yamane Kenji Miura Ryutaro Tao
出版者
The Japanese Society for Horticultural Science
雑誌
The Horticulture Journal (ISSN:21890102)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.QH-062, (Released:2023-06-14)

Evaluating the function of genes expressed in fruit tissues of fruit tree species using a genetic transformation approach is a long process because the trees are generally recalcitrant to genetic transformation and cannot bear fruit during their long juvenile phases. Transient gene expression in fruit enables the functional analysis of genes associated with fruit traits, which may accelerate the study of fruit physiology. Here, by using the recently developed “Tsukuba system”, we successfully established an efficient transient expression system in harvested fruit tissues. The “Tsukuba system” utilizes a combination of the geminiviral replication system and a double terminator, which ensures sufficient levels of transgene expression. We used blueberry fruit as a model to characterize the applicability of this system for transient expression in fruit tissue. The pTKB3-EGFP vector was introduced by agroinfiltration into the fruit tissues of several blueberry cultivars. We found that transient GFP fluorescence in fruit peaked 4–6 days after agroinfiltration. Agrobacterium suspensions were easily injected into soft, mature fruit, and GFP was strongly expressed; however, hard, immature fruit were not penetrable by Agrobacterium suspensions, and GFP was rarely detected. We then tested the applicability of the developed system to other fruit tree species: six families, 17 species, and 26 cultivars. GFP fluorescence was detected in all species, except for Japanese apricot. In blueberry, bilberry, sweet cherry, apricot, and satsuma mandarin, GFP was highly expressed and observed in a large proportion of the flesh. In kiwifruit, hardy kiwifruits, persimmon, peach, apple, European pear, and grape, GFP fluorescence was limited to certain parts of the fruits. Finally, transient VcMYBA1 overexpression in blueberry was tested as a model for gene functional analysis in fruit. Transient VcMYBA1 overexpression induced red pigmentation in the flesh, suggesting that VcMYBA1 expression caused anthocyanin accumulation. This study provides a technical basis for the rapid evaluation of genes expressed in fruit, which will be useful for gene function evaluation studies in fruit crops with long juvenile phases.
著者
Ryohei Aoyagi Megumi Funakoshi-Tago Yosuke Fujiwara Hiroomi Tamura
出版者
公益社団法人日本薬学会
雑誌
Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin (ISSN:09186158)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.b14-00378, (Released:2014-09-11)
参考文献数
24
被引用文献数
5 35

Recent epidemiological studies showed that coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, presumably due to suppression of excess fat accumulation in adipocytes. However, the mechanism underlying the effect of coffee on adipocyte differentiation has not been well documented. To elucidate the mechanism, we investigated the effect of coffee on the differentiation of mouse preadipocyte 3T3-L1 cells. Coffee reduced the accumulation of lipids during adipocytic differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells. At 5% coffee, the accumulation of lipids decreased to half that of the control. Coffee also inhibited the expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), a transcription factor controlling the differentiation of adipocytes. Furthermore, coffee reduced the expression of other differentiation marker genes, aP2, adiponectin, CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα), GLUT4, and lipoprotein lipase (LPL), during adipocyte differentiation. Major bioactive constituents in coffee extracts, such as caffeine, trigonelline, chlorogenic acid, and caffeic acid, showed no effect on PPARγ gene expression. The inhibitory activity was produced by the roasting of the coffee beans.