Pterostilbene, like its parent compound resveratrol, has a wide range of health promoting properties; however, pterostilbene is better than resveratrol in lowering lipid levels and in improving memory and cognition in aged rats. Pterostilbene has also been shown as a potent neuromodulator in aging and Alzheimer's disease, but not resveratrol. These interesting properties triggered engineering production of pterostilbene in planta. Pterostilbene-accumulating Nicotiana tabacum and Arabidopsis thaliana transformants were generated using a two-gene binary vector containing peanut stilbene synthase and sorghum O-methyltransferase, via Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation. GC-MS analysis showed accumulation of pterostilbene in 5 out of 15 tobacco lines and 8 out of 13 Arabidopsis lines. The tobacco transformants exhibited reduced floral pigmentation. Our studies demonstrated successful production of pterostilbene in transgenic plants; however, shunting of existing malonyl-CoA and coumaryl-CoA pools away from flavonoid synthesis must be taken into consideration.

Production of pterostilbene in Nicotiana species and Arabidopsis thaliana via co-expression of peanut stilbene synthase and sorghum O-methyltransferase

244th National Meeting (2012)

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