Assessment of genetic variation in Bulgarian tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) genotypes, using fluorescent SSR genotyping platform.

Genetic variability in modern crops is limited due to domestication and selection processes. Genetic variation in eight Bulgarian tomato varieties and breeding lines (variety Plovdivska karotina, variety IZK Alya, L21ß, L53ß, L1140, L1116, L975, L984) differing in their morphological and biochemical composition was assessed using a highly efficient and low-cost fluorescent simple sequence repeat (SSR) genotyping platform. Genotyping was conducted with 165 publicly available microsatellite markers developed from different research groups under a number of projects in tomato (SOL Genomics SSRs, Kazusa TGS and TES, SLM, TMS and LEMDDNa) among which only five (3.03%) failed to amplify the expected PCR fragments. Of the remaining markers, 81 (50.62%) were polymorphic in the whole collection of eight genotypes. Among the marker groups used, SLM markers were most polymorphic, followed by TMS and SOL Genomics SSR markers. The total number of amplified alleles was 299, with a mean of 1.869; and the average polymorphic information content (PIC) was 0.196. The genetic diversity within the collection was relatively low (0.2222). Nei's genetic distance varied from 0.0953 to 0.3992. Cluster analysis using the un-weighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) method indicated that the studied tomato genotypes are grouped in four main clusters, which is to some extent consistent with the morpho- and hemo-types of the studied tomatoes. Variety IZK Alya (cherry type) and two of the breeding lines (L1140, L1116) formed three separate and more distant clusters. The fourth cluster includes the other five genotypes. The observed grouping of these genotypes in two sub-clusters reflects their similar morphological and biochemical composition. The genetic distance information from this study might be useful for further implementation of breeding strategies and crosses among these inbred lines.

Galanthamine production by Leucojum aestivum cultures in vitro.

The results described in these studies proved that the successful in vitro bioproduction of galanthamine from L. aestivum shoot-clumps required mainly the selection of in vitro clones with a genetically determined high ability to produce the desired alkaloids, although the expression of this ability could be additionally influenced by diverse exterior factors, such as some components of the nutrient medium, or the cultivation conditions of the ambience. Tissue differentiation was also of great importance for the biosynthetic capacity of the cultures. The most suitable inocula for in vitro biosynthesis of galanthamine in liquid medium were the directly regenerated shoot-clumps, ensuring high alkaloid concentrations between 1 and 2 mg/g DW for the selected clones. We observed astonishing clone-specific dynamics of the biosynthetic activity of all of the studied in vitro clones. The dynamics were obviously related to the strong biological clock of the species, persisting even in several-year old cultures. These dynamics did not coincide with those usual for the plants growing in situ and under controlled field conditions. In our opinion, the clone specificity of the biosynthetic dynamics could be due to the disturbance of the plant regulation mechanism under the equal conditions of the ambience in the culture room. The sharp decrease of the alkaloid concentrations were transient, followed by an increase, so that cultures were retaining their biosynthetic capacity. The biosynthesis of the main alkaloids, galanthamine and lycorine, was influenced by diverse stimulants such as substances causing stress (JA), feeding with alkaloid precursors (the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine, and CH), and physical treatment (acoustic waves). However, the course of the biosynthetic dynamics during the period of the treatments was always the most important factor for the success of secondary metabolism stimulation. As far as scaling-up of the in vitro biosynthesis of valuable compounds, a stable and predictable yield is required, and additional investigations aimed at the annulment of the effect plant biological clock on alkaloid biosynthesis are needed. The elucidation of the relative influences of the diverse factors modulating alkaloid biosynthesis was of great importance. The high galanthamine concentrations of the selected in vitro clones are a promising basis for future studies.

Influence of plant origin on propagation capacity and alkaloid biosynthesis during long-term in vitro cultivation of Leucojum aestivum L.

The investigation deals with in vitro clonal propagation of L. aestivum L. (summer snowflake), a threatened Amaryllidaceae plant species in Bulgaria used in the pharmaceutical industry as raw material for production of galanthamine-based medicines. Plants of known origin and with different alkaloid profile were taken from the living collection of the Institute of Botany, Sofia. Bulbs were used to initiate in vitro cultures and 24 clones were multiplied. The influence of the clone origin on the propagation coefficient, shoot and bulblet morphology, alkaloid profile and content of galanthamine, lycorine, and four related alkaloids was evaluated. Clones kept stable alkaloid profiles and for most of them, high regeneration rates were noted. Galanthamine content of some clones was commensurable with that of Bulgarian populations of L. aestivum of commercial importance. Five clones: four galanthamine-type and one lycorine-type were selected as promising for further investigation.