Projects / Programmes
The Potential of Adriatic Immortelle (Helichrysum italicum L.): Comprehensive Genome and Transcriptome Profiling for Gene Discovery in Biosynthesis of Plant Natural Products
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 4.03.01 |
Biotechnical sciences |
Plant production |
Agricultural plants |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| B225 |
Biomedical sciences |
Plant genetics |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 4.01 |
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences |
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries |
immortelle (Helichrysum italicum); morphology; NGS technology; transcriptome; microsatellites; DNA profiling; population structure
Researchers (1)
| no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
32571 |
PhD Alenka Baruca Arbeiter |
Plant production |
Head |
2019 - 2022 |
127 |
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The native Mediterranean plant of immortelle Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don contains numerous phytochemicals beneficial for human health. Discovery of distinct chemotypes has contributed to its popularity. In addition to the traditional use in folk medicine, the plant is also interesting for pharmaceutical, fragrance, cosmetic and food industry. Xerophyte characteristics and its excellent adaptation to stressed environmental conditions have contributed to its cultivation in the Adriatic region, including Slovenian Istria. Despite its growing importance in the Mediterranean agriculture, the integrated research of immortelle and its potential is significantly lagging behind of other aromatic plants.
The high economic value of H. italicum is attributed to various extracts and essential oils prepared from different parts of the plant, which chemically differ depending on the extraction process parameters, the origin of plant material, developmental stage, plant taxonomy, and environmental conditions. Various phytochemicals or their combinations may exert the documented beneficial health effects of these extracts.
Regardless of huge importance of secondary metabolites in human life and high economic relevance of H. italicum, the availability of genomic and transcriptomic data for H. italicum is still limited. Studies on genetic differentiation with the attempted division into subspecies and separation of wild and cultivated ecotypes are very scarce, although the phenotype together with chemotype and its overall therapeutic characteristics is always intrinsically linked to the genotype. Furthermore, no codominant, high informative molecular markers and only 105 nucleotide sequences at NCBI database confirming very initial phase of genetic research of Helichrysum species. Consequently, no information on genes responsible for biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and on their response to the environment is available. Therefore, we urgently need to identify genes dictating the synthesis of most valuable, bioactive molecules, and to develop the associated molecular markers through in-depth investigation of transcriptomic and genomic data.
The main goal of the postdoctoral project is to identify and characterize the most promising genotypes of H. italicum from the North Adriatic growing region. This aim will be reached through specific objectives: 1) Morphological and agronomical evaluation of different populations of Adriatic H. italicum, grown in the field collection Purissima (established in May 2018 in the Slovenian Istria, Ankaran, SVN); 2) Deep transcriptome sequencing of H. italicum with next generation sequencing (NGS) technology, detailed transcriptome (mRNA) analysis, annotation and identification of major genes involved in biosynthesis of secondary metabolites; 3) Development of genomic (from DNA-seq) and genic (from mRNA-seq) microsatellite markers for genotyping, reliable taxon identification, differentiation of different Helichrysum species/subspecies and other diversity studies; 4) Assessment of genetic diversity of the plant in the Adriatic region for conservation strategy determination.
The postdoctoral project will be implemented in four work packages (WPs), namely: Field collection of immortelle germplasm evaluation (WP1), Deep transcriptome sequencing of H. italicum and functional annotation (WP2), Microsatellite discovery and markers validation (WP3) and SSR application in genotyping and population studies (WP4). The project is going to deliver crucial, unique and widely applicable information on H. italicum as well as to link the approaches from research fields of agriculture, botany, plant taxonomy and genetics (genomics and transcriptomics). The introduction of in-depth transcriptome analysis and development of new genome-wide and gene-based molecular markers represent new approaches for H. italicum, enabling development of scientific fields such as plant breeding, functional genomics and biochemistry.
Significance for science
The aromatic plant of immortelle possesses various pharmacologically active metabolites with documented biological effect on human health. Poor representation of immortelle nucleotide sequences at NCBI database, confirm very initial phase of research of this plant. Modern approaches for investigation of non-model, aromatic plants are based on in-depth transcriptome studies and profiling of transcripts for determination of genes, responsible for synthesis of secondary metabolites. The project thus focuses on in-depth transcriptome analysis, identification of target genes for biomolecules, and development of high informative molecular markers. The immortelle transcriptome will be obtained through the NGS technology, de novo assembled, annotated, and pathways for synthesis of biomolecules will be determined. Merging genomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics represents an integrated, novel research approach in the field of ‘herbal omics’, and will significantly contribute to model herb research platforms and herbal synthetic biology.
The introduction of sequencing with NGS platform and detailed transcriptome analysis in the project represent new approaches, which have not been used for Helicrysum yet, and only a few herbal plants have been subjected to this approach. The applicability of the project results is extremely high for the research community; all sequences from DNA-seq and mRNA-seq generated, will be deposited to a world sequence database NCBI. This will further contribute to the identification and development of numerous genome and gene-based molecular markers, enabling development of scientific fields such as functional genomics, comparative genetics, taxonomy and phylogeny fields, and bioinformatics.
In the project, a development of new, high informative sets of genomic and genic microsatellite markers will be done. Their publication will remarkably contribute to the phylogenetic, ecological and population genetic studies. All mentioned scientific fields are of great interest, in order to revise the Helichrysum sp. taxonomic classification, to determine diversity of Adriatic populations, and to define conservation strategy of valuable immortelle native genetic resources.
Furthermore, since the H. italicum is relatively a newcomer in agriculture practice, developed markers will be used for establishment of a reliable identification system for discrimination of wild and cultivated H. italicum plants, which is of great importance to ensure the traceability and authentication of planting material in nurseries and to control genetic material flow between countries. Additionally, in the framework of the Research programme ‘Conservation biology: from molecules to ecosystem’, genomic and transcriptomic detailed analyses will be upgraded with complete chemical characterization of Adriatic immortelle, and information on biomolecules in plant extracts will add to the industrial value of the plant.
Significance for the country
The aromatic plant of immortelle possesses various pharmacologically active metabolites with documented biological effect on human health. Poor representation of immortelle nucleotide sequences at NCBI database, confirm very initial phase of research of this plant. Modern approaches for investigation of non-model, aromatic plants are based on in-depth transcriptome studies and profiling of transcripts for determination of genes, responsible for synthesis of secondary metabolites. The project thus focuses on in-depth transcriptome analysis, identification of target genes for biomolecules, and development of high informative molecular markers. The immortelle transcriptome will be obtained through the NGS technology, de novo assembled, annotated, and pathways for synthesis of biomolecules will be determined. Merging genomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics represents an integrated, novel research approach in the field of ‘herbal omics’, and will significantly contribute to model herb research platforms and herbal synthetic biology.
The introduction of sequencing with NGS platform and detailed transcriptome analysis in the project represent new approaches, which have not been used for Helicrysum yet, and only a few herbal plants have been subjected to this approach. The applicability of the project results is extremely high for the research community; all sequences from DNA-seq and mRNA-seq generated, will be deposited to a world sequence database NCBI. This will further contribute to the identification and development of numerous genome and gene-based molecular markers, enabling development of scientific fields such as functional genomics, comparative genetics, taxonomy and phylogeny fields, and bioinformatics.
In the project, a development of new, high informative sets of genomic and genic microsatellite markers will be done. Their publication will remarkably contribute to the phylogenetic, ecological and population genetic studies. All mentioned scientific fields are of great interest, in order to revise the Helichrysum sp. taxonomic classification, to determine diversity of Adriatic populations, and to define conservation strategy of valuable immortelle native genetic resources.
Furthermore, since the H. italicum is relatively a newcomer in agriculture practice, developed markers will be used for establishment of a reliable identification system for discrimination of wild and cultivated H. italicum plants, which is of great importance to ensure the traceability and authentication of planting material in nurseries and to control genetic material flow between countries. Additionally, in the framework of the Research programme ‘Conservation biology: from molecules to ecosystem’, genomic and transcriptomic detailed analyses will be upgraded with complete chemical characterization of Adriatic immortelle, and information on biomolecules in plant extracts will add to the industrial value of the plant.
