Constitutive Expression of AtVTE2 in Flax Is Associated with Changes in Isoprenoid Metabolism and Stem Cell-Wall Composition
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Genetic Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, Przybyszewskiego 63, 51-148 Wrocław, Poland
- 2Department of Dietetics and Bromatology, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 211, 50-556 Wrocław, Poland
- 3Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Production Engineering, Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, Komandorska 118/120, 53-345 Wrocław, Poland
- 4Medical Faculty, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Grunwaldzki 11, 51-377 Wrocław, Poland
- 5University College of Professional Education in Wroclaw, Plac Powstańców Śląskich 1, 53-329 Wrocław, Poland
Abstract
Tocopherols are essential lipid-soluble antioxidants that play important roles in plant protection against oxidative stress and are closely connected with isoprenoid metabolism. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of stable constitutive expression of Arabidopsis thaliana VTE2 (AtVTE2) in flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) and its effects on plant metabolism and development. As a dual-purpose oil and fibre crop, flax combines PUFA-rich seeds with industrially important fibre-rich stems, providing a useful system for assessing the broader consequences of antioxidant-pathway engineering. Three independent transgenic lines were characterized by RT-qPCR analysis of genes associated with tocopherol, MEP, MVA, and carotenoid biosynthesis, targeted metabolite profiling, antioxidant-capacity assays, field phenotyping, and biochemical and spectroscopic analyses of mature straw. Three independent transgenic lines were characterized using gene-expression analyses, metabolic profiling, antioxidant assays, phenotypic evaluation, and biochemical analyses of mature stems. Constitutive AtVTE2 expression was associated with α-tocopherol accumulation and was accompanied by coordinated transcriptional changes in genes associated with the plastidial methylerythritol phosphate and cytosolic mevalonate pathways. These changes were associated with modifications in isoprenoid and phenylpropanoid metabolism, enhanced antioxidant capacity in selected transgenic lines, and altered plant architecture under field conditions. In mature straw, transgenic plants exhibited changes in phytosterol composition, lignin accumulation, and pectin distribution, whereas cellulose content remained unchanged. FT-IR spectra retained the same principal bands but showed differences in the relative intensities of selected cell-wall-associated bands. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that constitutive AtVTE2 expression is associated with tissue-dependent metabolic responses extending beyond vitamin E accumulation and affecting interconnected pathways involved in secondary metabolism, antioxidant capacity, and cell-wall organization.
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BibTeX
@article{hasiewiczderkacz2026constitutive,
title = {{Constitutive Expression of AtVTE2 in Flax Is Associated with Changes in Isoprenoid Metabolism and Stem Cell-Wall Composition}},
author = {Karolina Hasiewicz-Derkacz and Iwan Zalewski and Aleksandra Boba and Lucyna Dymińska and Dzmitry Lysh and Tadeusz Czuj and Anna Prescha and Katarzyna Skórkowska-Telichowska and Jan Szopa and Anna Kulma},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27188295},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/18/8295},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Constitutive Expression of AtVTE2 in Flax Is Associated with Changes in Isoprenoid Metabolism and Stem Cell-Wall Composition
AU - Karolina Hasiewicz-Derkacz
AU - Iwan Zalewski
AU - Aleksandra Boba
AU - Lucyna Dymińska
AU - Dzmitry Lysh
AU - Tadeusz Czuj
AU - Anna Prescha
AU - Katarzyna Skórkowska-Telichowska
AU - Jan Szopa
AU - Anna Kulma
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/17
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27188295
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/18/8295
AB - Tocopherols are essential lipid-soluble antioxidants that play important roles in plant protection against oxidative stress and are closely connected with isoprenoid metabolism. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of stable constitutive expression of Arabidopsis thaliana VTE2 (AtVTE2) in flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) and its effects on plant metabolism and development. As a dual-purpose oil and fibre crop, flax combines PUFA-rich seeds with industrially important fibre-rich stems, providing a useful system for assessing the broader consequences of antioxidant-pathway engineering. Three independent transgenic lines were characterized by RT-qPCR analysis of genes associated with tocopherol, MEP, MVA, and carotenoid biosynthesis, targeted metabolite profiling, antioxidant-capacity assays, field phenotyping, and biochemical and spectroscopic analyses of mature straw. Three independent transgenic lines were characterized using gene-expression analyses, metabolic profiling, antioxidant assays, phenotypic evaluation, and biochemical analyses of mature stems. Constitutive AtVTE2 expression was associated with α-tocopherol accumulation and was accompanied by coordinated transcriptional changes in genes associated with the plastidial methylerythritol phosphate and cytosolic mevalonate pathways. These changes were associated with modifications in isoprenoid and phenylpropanoid metabolism, enhanced antioxidant capacity in selected transgenic lines, and altered plant architecture under field conditions. In mature straw, transgenic plants exhibited changes in phytosterol composition, lignin accumulation, and pectin distribution, whereas cellulose content remained unchanged. FT-IR spectra retained the same principal bands but showed differences in the relative intensities of selected cell-wall-associated bands. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that constitutive AtVTE2 expression is associated with tissue-dependent metabolic responses extending beyond vitamin E accumulation and affecting interconnected pathways involved in secondary metabolism, antioxidant capacity, and cell-wall organization.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -