# Bioproduction of raspberry ketone using Phyllostachys bamboo cells expressing raspberry ketone biosynthetic genes

## TL;DR

Researchers used genetically modified bamboo cells to produce raspberry ketone, a valuable compound found in raspberries, offering a sustainable alternative to natural sources.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates the successful bioproduction of raspberry ketone in transgenic bamboo cells using specific biosynthetic genes.

## Key findings

- Transgenic bamboo cells expressing RpBAS and RiRZS1 produced raspberry ketone with a maximum yield of 293 µg g−1 fresh weight.
- Raspberry ketone was primarily accumulated in its glycosylated form in the bamboo cells.
- Bamboo cells are shown to be a viable host for the bioproduction of raspberry ketone from accessible precursors.

## Abstract

Bioproduction of high-value natural compounds in cultured plant cells represents a favorable strategy compatible with the framework of green sustainable chemistry. Raspberry ketone, a phenylpropanoid-derived compound utilized as a food additive and cosmetics constituent, is a distinctive aromatic component that is accumulated in the ripe fruit of raspberry (Rubus idaeus). Its natural abundance is extremely limited. Consequently, it is imperative to develop methodologies for efficient bioproduction of raspberry ketone. In the present study, we examined the effect of expressing the raspberry ketone biosynthetic genes RpBAS and RiRZS1 in bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) cells, which had been demonstrated previously to be an appropriate host for production of phenylpropanoid-derived compounds, on the bioconversion of precursor compounds into raspberry ketone. The maximal production yield of raspberry ketone, primarily accumulated in the glycosylated form, reached 293 µg g−1 fresh weight when the RpBAS-RiRZS1-transgenic bamboo cells were cultured in medium supplemented with 4-hydroxybenzalacetone, the immediate precursor of raspberry ketone. These findings underscore the potential utility of bamboo cells for the bioproduction of raspberry ketone from accessible precursors.