Expression of the key gene in the sesamin biosynthesis pathway in sesame (CYP81Q1) under the effect of nitrate silver and zinc nanoparticles elicitors

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an important crop for the production of useful compounds such as sesamin and sesamolin. Sesamin, a furofuran class lignin, is widespread in vascular plants and represented by Sesamum spp. Sesamin has been of rapidly growing interest because of its beneficial biological effects in mammals. In this regard, in the last decade, there have been attempts to increase the production of this substance through metabolic engineering, gaining more knowledge of biosynthetic pathways and the genes involved in them and increasing their expression using different elicitors. In this study, the effect of silver nitrate and zinc nanoparticles on expression level of a key gene involved in sesamin biosynthesis pathway CYP81Q1, was detected using optimized sesame cell suspension culture. Different concentrations of the elicitors including 0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg/l were added to the 18 day-old cell suspension culture. Sampling was carried out after 0, 2, 8 and 24 hours post treatment. Cell samples frozen with liquid nitrogen were used to elucidate the expression level of genes by QRT-PCR technique.Our data showed that CYP81Q1 gene reached maximum levels at 8 h post-elicitation with 0.25 mg/l zinc nanoparticles. Expression level of CYP81Q1 was detected in the cell treated with 0.5 and 1 mg/l silver nitrate and showed peak at 24 and 8 h post-elicitation respectively. We observed that in the cells treated with silver nitrate and zinc nanoparticles, expression level of CYP81Q1 key gene involved in sesamin biosynthesis was increased. This increase was generally dependent on the elicitors amount and time post-elicitation. The results showed both elicitors made an increase in gene expression.