Liao et al. conducted a study to develop a novel gene stacking strategy for transgene stacking that would allow for the heterologous biosynthesis of mogrosides. Mogrosides are natural zero-calorie sweeteners that have been found to exhibit an array of biological activities. Moreover, they can serve as flavor enhancers for vegetables through modern molecular biotechnology. The authors developed a multi-gene vector that contained six mogrosides biosynthesis genes and transformed it into two different plant species: Cucumis sativus and Lycopersicon esculentum, cucumber & tomato.
The researchers found that transgenic cucumber produced mogroside V and siamenoside I at 587 ng/g FW and 113 ng/g FW, respectively. Similarly, the team also cultivated transgenic tomatoes with mogroside III. The results of this study suggest that the gene stacking strategy can improve the flavor profile of vegetables. The successful production of mogrosides in transgenic plants offers a promising approach for producing vegetables with enhanced flavor profiles.
Mogrosides have significant implications for the food industry, as they are widely used as natural zero-calorie sweeteners and flavor enhancers. Developing a gene stacking strategy for the heterologous biosynthesis of mogrosides provides a means for producing vegetables with enhanced flavor profiles, which could be of great value for food production and sales. Furthermore, this approach may have broader implications for the biosynthesis of other plant-derived compounds, as it could be adapted to engineer other plant species to produce valuable compounds.
The gene stacking strategy developed by Liao et al. involves an In-fusion method, a versatile and efficient method for molecular cloning. It creates a donor vector containing the desired transgenes flanked by the appropriate sequences for homologous recombination. Then, this vector is combined with a recipient vector containing the target site for integration, and the two vectors are transformed into the plant. The advantage of this approach is that it allows for the stacking of multiple transgenes, which is essential for the heterologous biosynthesis of complex compounds.
Read the complete research paper here on cucumber & tomato mogroside.
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