Format: ORAL

Pablo A Prez Mesa1, Thomas Gatter2, Saleh Alseekh3, Sofa Rojas Contreras1, Karl Kaether2, Gina P Sierra1, Andrs Orejuela4, Peter F Stadler2, Alisdair G Fernie3, Clara I. Bermdez Santana1, Federico Roda1

1 Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Bogotá, Bogotá, Colombia. 2 Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. 3 Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany. 4 Instituto tecnológico del Putumayo, Mocoa, Colombia.

The Solanaceae family constitutes a promissory group for genomic and metabolomics studies. This condition is attributable to the morphological diversity, agronomic importance, and few polyploidy events for most taxonomic groups. Within Solanaceae, wild species in the Neotropic are a valuable source of diversity to study the phylogenomic evolution of different plant clades through specialized metabolism. Steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) are among the most interesting compounds of plant origin due to their medicinal, antibiotic, and defensive properties against pests. These compounds have been mainly studied in the domesticated species of the Solanum genus. Genomic synteny and gene expression studies in species such as potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants have allowed the identification of genes that determine the production of SGAs. These analyses have shown that the genes associated with the metabolism of SGAs are grouped in genomic regions, forming what is known as biosynthetic clusters (BCs). The expression and gene composition of these BCs define the evolution of SGAs in cultivated species. However, the genes that have generated the diversity of SGAs in wild species have not yet been studied. Understanding the genetic causes of the diversification of SGA metabolism in non-highlighted species is fundamental to understanding the evolution of metabolism in Solanaceae and characterizing these compounds for biotechnological purposes. Our project proposes to fill this gap by studying the evolution, metabolism, expression, and genomic organization of genes associated with the production of SGAs in wild and medicinal species of the Solanaceae family. Specifically, we identify candidate genes using co-expression and correlation analysis using the transcriptomes and metabolomes of dozens of species. In addition, we performed synteny analysis to characterize the BCs variation between cultivated and wild Solanum plants. Moreover, we validate some candidate genes using overexpression techniques to find new and promising compounds for medicinal purposes.