Accessing to the Nicotiana tabacum leaf antimicrobial activity: In-silico and in-vitro investigations

• Published in: Plant physiology and biochemistry 2019-06, Vol.139, p.591-599
• Main Authors: Capdesuñer, Yanelis, García-Brizuela, Jorge, Mock, Hans Peter, Hernández, Karel Vives, de la Torre, Martha Hernández, Santiesteban-Toca, Cosme E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antimicrobial activity; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; In-silico and in-vitro investigations; Machine Learning; Nicotiana - genetics; Nicotiana - metabolism; Plant Leaves - genetics; Plant Leaves - metabolism; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plants, Genetically Modified - genetics; Plants, Genetically Modified - metabolism
• ISSN: 0981-9428; 1873-2690
• DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2019.04.015

In this research, in-silico and in-vitro approaches were adopted with the aim to investigate the relationship between the tobacco leaf structures (trichomes) and the production of secondary metabolites with antimicrobial activity. Machine learning techniques were used to know the correlation between phenotypic traits and the production of secondary metabolites in Nicotiana tabacum plants. Then, an in-vitro experimental study was carried out to corroborate the proposed model. The relationship between the morphology and distribution of the different types of trichomes in the upper and lower leaves with the contrasting profiles of the chemical composition (diterpenes and sugar esters) of the leaf exudates between different lines of tobacco were found. We determined the influence of each trichome type with secondary metabolites production and the necessary concentration to achieve antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. [Display omitted] •In-silico analysis proposes a regression tree with a small collection of high confidence rules for each studied diterpene.•In-vitro demonstrates the in-silico phenotipical profile, relating large & branched type_I trichomes to CBTdiols production.•A complex profile analysis shows an indirect relationship between the high number of type II trichomes and any diterpene.•Trichomes responsibility on metabolites production and the necessary concentration for antimicrobial activity was determined.•The use of Nicotiana tabacum extracts against bacteria and fungi as effective agents for crops protection was demonstrated.