Browsing by Subject "Metabolit"

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Development of a genetically defined diploid yeast strain for the application in spirit production
(2005) Schehl, Beatus; Heinisch, Jürgen
Yeast strains of the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae currently in use for the production of consumable alcohols such as beer, wine and spirits are genetically largely undefined. This prevents the use of standard genetic manipulations, such as crossings and tetrad analysis, for strain improvement. Furthermore, it complicates the application of the majority of modern methods developed in yeast molecular biology. In this work two haploid laboratory strains with suitable auxotrophic markers were used for the construction of a genetically well defined, prototrophic diploid production strain. This strain was tested for its fermentative and sensory performances in comparison to commercially available yeasts. Different fruit mashes were fermented, subjected to distillation and analysed for fermentation parameters including growth, sugar utilization, ethanol production and generation of volatile compounds, higher alcohols, uretahne and glycerol. All spirits produced were tested for their sensory performances and the data obtained statistically consolidated. Our results clearly demonstrate that this laboratory strain does not display any disadvantage compared with commercial yeasts in spirit production for any of the parameters tested, yet it offers the potential to apply both classical breeding and modern molecular genetic techniques adjusting yeast physiology to special production schemes.
Genome-wide association mapping of molecular and physiological component traits in maize
(2013) Riedelsheimer, Christian; Melchinger, Albrecht E.
Genome-wide association (GWA) mapping emerged as a powerful tool to dissect complex traits in maize. Yet, most agronomic traits were found to be highly polygenic and the detected associations explained together only a small portion of the total genetic variance. Hence, the majority of genetic factors underlying many agronomically important traits are still unknown. New approaches are needed for unravelling the chain from the genes to the phenotype which is still largely unresolved for most quantitative traits in maize. Instead of further enlarging the mapping population to increase the power to detect even smaller QTL, this thesis research aims to present an alternative route by mapping not the polygenic trait of primary interest itself, but genetically correlated molecular and physiological component traits. As such components represent biological sub-processes underlying the trait of interest, they are supposed to be genetically less complex and thus, more suitable for genetic mapping. Using large diversity panels of maize inbred lines, this approach is demonstrated with (i) biomass yield by using metabolites and lipids as molecular component traits and with (ii) chilling sensitivity by using physiological component traits such as photosynthesis parameters derived from chlorophyll fluorescence measurements. In a first step, we developed a sampling and randomization scheme which allowed us to obtain metabolic and lipid profiles from large-scale field trials. Both profiles were found to be inten- sively structured reflecting their functional grouping. They also showed repeatabilities higher than in comparable profiles obtained in previous studies with the model plant Arabidopsis under controlled conditions. By applying GWAS with 56,110 SNPs to metabolites and lipids, large-scale genetic associations explaining more than 30 % of the genetic variance were detected. Confounding with structure was found to be a problem of less extent for molecular components than for agronomic traits like flowering time. The lipidome was also found to show a multilevel control architecture similar as employed in controlling complex mechanical systems. In several instances, direct links between candidate genes underlying the detected associations and agronomic traits could be established. An example is cinnamoyl-CoA reductase, a key enzyme in the lingin biosynthesis pathway. It was found to be a candidate gene underlying a major QTL found for several intermediates in the lignin biosynthesis pathways. These intemediates were in turn found to be correlated with plant height, lignin content, and dry matter yield at the end of the vegetation period. The different signs of these correlations indicated that the relationships between pathway intermediates and the final product is not simple. Directly modeling complex traits with individual component traits may therefore require consideration of feedback loops and other interdependencies. Such connections were however found difficult to be established with physiological components underlying chilling sensitivity. The main reasons for this were the weak correlations between physiological components under controlled conditions and chilling sensitivity in the field as well as high levels of genotype × environment interactions caused by the complex and environment- dependent responses of maize after perception of chilling temperatures. The approach explored in this thesis research uses component traits to gain biological insights about the genetic control of biomass yield and chilling sensitivity evaluated in diverse populations of still manageable sizes. We showed that GWAS with 56k SNPs can identify large additive effects for component traits correlated with these traits. For mapping epistatic interactions and rare variants, classical linkage mapping with biparental populations will be a reasonable complementary approach. However, controlling and modeling genotype × environment interactions remains an important issue for understanding the genetic basis of especially chilling sensitivity. If the goal is merely to predict the phenotypic value in a given set of en- vironments, black-box genomic selection methods with either SNPs, molecular profiles, or a combination of both, are very promising strategies to achieve this goal.
Preharvest and postharvest factors affecting the quality profile of onion landraces
(2021) Romo-Perez, Maria Luisa; Zörb, Christian
Onion cultivation has been practiced for over 4000 years and does not exist as a wild species. Over time onions have adapted to different climates, creating a wide range of varieties and landraces. Today, in modern agriculture, commercial onion breeders focus almost exclusively on conventional farming which increases the demand for certain well-known varieties and hybrids but lowers the diversity available in the mainstream market. Additionally, a clear need for new varieties of onions is heralded by organic farming systems, where pesticides and chemical fertilizers are banned. A way to preserve biodiversity and enrich the range of varieties available in organic farming systems is to re-evaluate traditional landraces and introduce their benefits to the broader public. Onions are known for their good storability, particular aroma, as well as for their health-promoting benefits due to the rich content of non-structural carbohydrates, flavonoids, and S-containing compounds. However, the quality status and sensorial characteristics of onions can be influenced through preharvest and postharvest factors. Some of those factors are genotype, soil, and storage conditions. Preharvest abiotic factors such as soil salinity can lead to several reduction of yield and quality aspects. Much like many other vegetable species, onions have always been classified as salt-sensitive crop. However, to date, there was very little evidence to that claim, and information about the impact of salinity on onion quality and physiology is lacking. This thesis aims to characterize onion landraces and compare them using targeted and untargeted metabolomics with commercial cultivars when grown under organic farming conditions. A part of this is evaluating the differences of landrace metabolite profile and the storage impact after five months of cold storage. Furthermore, this thesis discusses the effect of increased soil salinity on the metabolism and physiology of onion plants. In chapter 2, yield and quality aspects of studied onion varieties demonstrated that landraces can achieve similar or even better results than modern varieties Sturon and Red Baron when grown under organic farming conditions of South-West Germany. Furthermore, differences between Sturon and landraces demonstrated that parts of the aromatic and flavor properties found in landraces have been lost in modern genotypes (Chapter 3). These results indicate that the maximum potential of the modern onion varieties has not yet been reached and further optimization of their yield and quality parameter could be attained through future breeding programs that include local landraces. Among the studied landraces, Birnförmige, Stunova, and Rijnsburger 4 are the most interesting and promising candidates. For instance, Birnformige demonstrated not only good storability but also high levels of S-containing compounds and fructans. Stunova presented good yield stability and capacity, while Rijnsburger 4 exhibited the highest levels of amino acids suitable as precursors of aromatic substances as well as good storability. Despite several reports claiming that onions are sensitive to salinity, chapter 4 of this thesis demonstrated there is no reduction in plant growth, quality, or aroma in onion plants after moderate Na+ treatments. Nevertheless, in comparison with the landrace Birnformige, modern variety Sturon showed a slight increase of compatible solutes by Na+ accumulation, demonstrating that the potential of certain varieties for onion production under increased soil salinity is actually much higher than previously assumed.