Elucidation of Biosynthetic pathway for the production of monotropein (potential neutraceutical) compound in blueberry

Blueberry is the second most important crop in the US, owing to increased awareness of its health benefits due to the presence of several bioactive compounds. One such plant bioactive compound is monotropein. It has been reported that monotropein is found in only three plant species, namely Monotropa Uniflora, Morinda officinalis (Vaccinium spp). Most work on monotropein has been done in Morinda officinalis where it has been shown to impart several human health benefits. Recent work has also identified monotropein in both wild and cultivated blueberries. However, how monotropein is produced and the type of candidate genes involved in the biosynthesis of monotropein in blueberries has yet to be elucidated. Our research group used bioinformatics, comparative genomics and protein engineering techniques to functionally characterize the ISY (Iridoid Synthase) gene. Transcriptome‐based identification and functional characterization of iridoid synthase revealed that it is co-expressed with UDP- glucuronosyltransferase, which is a likely downstream step in the formation of monotropein. Currently, we are focusing on functionally characterizing Geraniol Synthase (GES) gene, as recent work has found the expression of GES is significantly associated with the production of iridoids in other plant families. Our overarching goal is to elucidate the biosynthetic pathway of production of monotropein in blueberry to breed blueberries with higher production of monotropein.