Abstract Detail

Crops and Wild Relatives

Preble, Ryan S. [1], Tyler, Schwertfeger [2], Aleksandra, Skirycz [2], Strickler, Susan [3].

Development of a novel phenotyping procedure for annonaceous acetogenin production in Asimina triloba using HPLC-MS.

The common pawpaw tree, Asimina triloba, is an underutilized fruiting tree crop of the basal angiosperm family Annonaceae (custard apples). Members of this family are characterized by their confinement to the tropics (with the exception of genus Asimina) and the presence of annonaceous acetogenins, a class of neuroactive polyketides. Acetogenins are cytotoxic mitochondrial complex I inhibitors that act upon the interaction between NADH and ubiquinone, and they have seen success and speculation in applications such as lice shampoo, pesticides, anticancer drugs, and anti-parasite drugs. Conversely, they are implicated in atypical Parkinsonism associated with consumption of the seeds of annonaceous plants in the Caribbean, and these compounds have been identified in the ripe fruit tissue. The exciting potential of these compounds as well as the risk they pose to human health necessitates further research into their biosynthesis and the genetics of their production. Here, we present a new method of phenotyping pawpaw and other annonaceous plants for their acetogenin content. Using targeted mass spectrometry on crude methanolic extracts of pawpaw tissues, we show that a simple procedure utilizing a fifteen minute high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) run on a gradient of acetonitrile and water in a C18 column paired with mass spectrometry (MS) can be used to quantify the concentration of several acetogenins in various tissues. Our preliminary results suggest a greater presence of acetogenins in the fruit tissues, including the epicarp, seeds, and edible fruit pulp, and a lower presence in the leaves. Further variation in the chromatographic parameters used may yield higher resolution results that permit even more rich quantification of the acetogenins in pawpaw and other annonaceous plants in future studies.

1 - Boyce Thompson Institute, 533 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
2 - Boyce Thompson Institute, 533 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
3 - Boyce Thompson Institute For Plant Research , 533 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States

Keywords:
Annonaceae
Acetogenin
Mass Spectrometry
Liquid Chromatography
Phenotype
Parkinsonism
Custard Apple
Asimina triloba.

Presentation Type: Poster
Number: PCW005
Abstract ID:367
Candidate for Awards:None