Terpenoid secondary metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana: cDNA cloning, characterization, and functional expression of a myrcene/(E)-beta-ocimene synthase

The Arabidopsis genome project has recently reported sequences with similarity to members of the terpene synthase (TPS) gene family of higher plants. Surprisingly, several Arabidopsis terpene synthase-like sequences (AtTPS) share the most identity with TPS genes that participate in secondary metabolism in terpenoid-accumulating plant species. Expression of a putative Arabidopsis terpene synthase gene, designated AtTPS03, was demonstrated by amplification of a 392-bp cDNA fragment using primers designed to conserved regions of plant terpene synthases. Using the AtTPS03 fragment as a hybridization probe, a second AtTPS cDNA, designated AtTPS10, was isolated from a jasmonate-induced cDNA library. The partial AtTPS10 cDNA clone contained an open reading frame of 1665 bp encoding a protein of 555 amino acids. Functional expression of AtTPS10 in Escherichia coli yielded an active monoterpene synthase enzyme, which converted geranyl diphosphate (C(10)) into the acyclic monoterpenes beta-myrcene and (E)-beta-ocimene and small amounts of cyclic monoterpenes. Based on sequence relatedness, AtTPS10 was classified as a member of the TPSb subfamily of angiosperm monoterpene synthases. Sequence comparison of AtTPS10 with previously cloned monoterpene synthases suggests independent events of functional specialization of terpene synthases during the evolution of terpenoid secondary metabolism in gymnosperms and angiosperms. Functional characterization of the AtTPS10 gene was prompted by the availability of Arabidopsis genome sequences. Although Arabidoposis has not been reported to form terpenoid secondary metabolites, the unexpected expression of TPS genes belonging to the TPSb subfamily in this species strongly suggests that terpenoid secondary metabolism is active in the model system Arabidopsis.     

Cloning and characterization of Ginkgo biloba levopimaradiene synthase which catalyzes the first committed step in ginkgolide biosynthesis

Levopimaradiene synthase, which catalyzes the initial cyclization step in ginkgolide biosynthesis, was cloned and functionally characterized. A Ginkgo biloba cDNA library was prepared from seedling roots and a probe was amplified using primers corresponding to conserved gymnosperm terpene synthase sequences. Colony hybridization and rapid amplification of cDNA ends yielded a full-length clone encoding a predicted protein (873 amino acids, 100,289 Da) similar to known gymnosperm diterpene synthases. The sequence includes a putative N-terminal plastid transit peptide and three aspartate-rich regions. The full-length protein expressed in Escherichia coli cyclized geranylgeranyl diphosphate to levopimaradiene, which was identical to a synthetic standard by GC/MS analysis. Removing 60 or 79 N-terminal residues increased levopimaradiene production, but a 128-residue N-terminal deletion lacked detectable activity. This is the first cloned ginkgolide biosynthetic gene and the first in vitro observation of an isolated ginkgolide biosynthetic enzyme.     

Isolation and partial characterisation of a putative monoterpene synthase from Melaleuca alternifolia.

Melaleuca alternifolia (Cheel) is an Australia native tree harvested for its monoterpene-rich, essential oil. Monoterpene synthases (E.C. 4.2.3.20) were partially purified from the flush growth of the commercially important, high terpinen-4-ol chemotype of M. alternifolia. The purified fractions produced an acyclic monoterpene, linalool that is not present in the essential oil. To further characterise the monoterpene synthase, a cDNA library was constructed and 500 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were sequenced to isolate putative terpene synthases. A single clone with similarity to the TspB gene sub-family of angiosperm monoterpene and isoprene synthases was isolated but was truncated at the 5' end. This single clone was used to design a probe for a cDNA library and was applied to isolate a full-length clone. This gene encoded a polypeptide 583 amino acids in length (67 kDa) including a putative transit peptide. Heterologous expression of the gene in Escherichia coli and subsequent assay of the recombinant enzyme did not result in the production of terpinen-4-ol, the major constituent of tea tree oil, or of its precursor sabinene hydrate. Significant quantities of linalool were observed in these assays, and in the assays of monoterpene synthase activity of a native enzyme in vitro, but the racemic nature of the linalool means that it may have a non-enzymatic origin.     

水稻EPSP合酶cDNA克隆、序列分析及其拷贝数测定

根据本室分离的水稻EPSP合酶基因的基因组序列设计一对引物 ,利用RT_PCR方法首次从水稻 (Oryzasati vaL .subsp .indica)叶片的RNA中扩增获得了水稻编码EPSP合酶的全长为 15 85bp的cDNA片段 ,它含有一个完整的开放读码框 ,编码 5 11个氨基酸 ,包括 44 4个氨基酸组成的成熟肽序列以及N端的 6 7个氨基酸组成的叶绿体转运肽序列。成熟肽氨基酸序列对比表明 ,除真菌来源的EPSP合酶变异较大外 ,其他来源的EPSP合酶同源性较高 ,均在 5 1%以上。而叶绿体转运肽氨基酸序列同源性较低。Southern杂交表明水稻EPSP合酶基因在水稻基因组中以单拷贝形式存在。RT_PCR分析表明 ,水稻EPSP合酶基因在根、未成熟种子和叶片中均有转录表达 ,在叶片中表达量最高     

水稻EPSP合酶cDNA克隆、序列分析及其拷贝数测定

根据本室分离的水稻EPSP合酶基因的基因组序列设计一对引物,利用RT-PCR方法首次从水稻(Oryza sativa L. subsp. indica)叶片的RNA中扩增获得了水稻编码EPSP合酶的全长为1 585 bp的cDNA片段,它含有一个完整的开放读码框,编码511个氨基酸,包括444个氨基酸组成的成熟肽序列以及N端的67个氨基酸组成的叶绿体转运肽序列.成熟肽氨基酸序列对比表明,除真菌来源的EPSP合酶变异较大外,其他来源的EPSP合酶同源性较高,均在51%以上.而叶绿体转运肽氨基酸序列同源性较低.Southern杂交表明水稻EPSP合酶基因在水稻基因组中以单拷贝形式存在.RT-PCR分析表明,水稻EPSP合酶基因在根、未成熟种子和叶片中均有转录表达,在叶片中表达量最高.     

(E)-beta-ocimene and myrcene synthase genes of floral scent biosynthesis in snapdragon: function and expression of three terpene synthase genes of a new terpene synthase subfamily

Snapdragon flowers emit two monoterpene olefins, myrcene and (E)-beta-ocimene, derived from geranyl diphosphate, in addition to a major phenylpropanoid floral scent component, methylbenzoate. Emission of these monoterpenes is regulated developmentally and follows diurnal rhythms controlled by a circadian clock. Using a functional genomics approach, we have isolated and characterized three closely related cDNAs from a snapdragon petal-specific library that encode two myrcene synthases (ama1e20 and ama0c15) and an (E)-beta-ocimene synthase (ama0a23). Although the two myrcene synthases are almost identical (98%), except for the N-terminal 13 amino acids, and are catalytically active, yielding a single monoterpene product, myrcene, only ama0c15 is expressed at a high level in flowers and contributes to floral myrcene emission. (E)-beta-Ocimene synthase is highly similar to snapdragon myrcene synthases (92% amino acid identity) and produces predominantly (E)-beta-ocimene (97% of total monoterpene olefin product) with small amounts of (Z)-beta-ocimene and myrcene. These newly isolated snapdragon monoterpene synthases, together with Arabidopsis AtTPS14 (At1g61680), define a new subfamily of the terpene synthase (TPS) family designated the Tps-g group. Members of this new Tps-g group lack the RRx(8)W motif, which is a characteristic feature of the Tps-d and Tps-b monoterpene synthases, suggesting that the reaction mechanism of Tps-g monoterpene synthase product formation does not proceed via an RR-dependent isomerization of geranyl diphosphate to 3S-linalyl diphosphate, as shown previously for limonene cyclase. Analyses of tissue-specific, developmental, and rhythmic expression of these monoterpene synthase genes in snapdragon flowers revealed coordinated regulation of phenylpropanoid and isoprenoid scent production.     

Evolution of the isoprene biosynthetic pathway in kudzu

Isoprene synthase converts dimethylallyl diphosphate, derived from the methylerythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway, to isoprene. Isoprene is made by some plants in substantial amounts, which affects atmospheric chemistry, while other plants make no isoprene. As part of our long-term study of isoprene synthesis, the genetics of the isoprene biosynthetic pathway of the isoprene emitter, kudzu (Pueraria montana), was compared with similar genes in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), which does not make isoprene. The MEP pathway genes in kudzu were similar to the corresponding Arabidopsis genes. Isoprene synthase genes of kudzu and aspen (Populus tremuloides) were cloned to compare their divergence with the divergence seen in MEP pathway genes. Phylogenetic analysis of the terpene synthase gene family indicated that isoprene synthases are either within the monoterpene synthase clade or sister to it. In Arabidopsis, the gene most similar to isoprene synthase is a myrcene/ocimene (acyclic monoterpenes) synthase. Two phenylalanine residues found exclusively in isoprene synthases make the active site smaller than other terpene synthase enzymes, possibly conferring specificity for the five-carbon substrate rather than precursors of the larger isoprenoids. Expression of the kudzu isoprene synthase gene in Arabidopsis caused Arabidopsis to emit isoprene, indicating that whether or not a plant emits isoprene depends on whether or not it has a terpene synthase capable of using dimethylallyl diphosphate.     

cDNA cloning, characterization, and functional expression of four new monoterpene synthase members of the Tpsd gene family from grand fir (Abies grandis).

Grand fir (Abies grandis) is a useful model system for studying the biochemistry, molecular genetics, and regulation of defensive oleoresin formation in conifers, a process involving both the constitutive accumulation of resin (pitch) in specialized secretory structures and the induced biosynthesis of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes (turpentine) and diterpene resin acids (rosin) by nonspecialized cells at the site of injury. A similarity-based cloning strategy, employing primers designed to conserved regions of existing monoterpene synthases and anticipated to amplify a 1000-bp fragment, unexpectedly yielded a 300-bp fragment with sequence reminiscent of a terpenoid synthase. Utilization of this amplicon as a hybridization probe afforded four new, full-length cDNA species from a wounded fir stem cDNA library that appeared to encode four distinct monoterpene synthases. Expression in Escherichia coli, followed by enzyme assay with geranyl diphosphate (C(10)), farnesyl diphosphate (C(15)) and geranylgeranyl diphosphate (C(20)), and analysis of the terpene products by chiral phase gas chromatography and mass spectrometry confirmed that these sequences encoded four new monoterpene synthases, including (-)-camphene synthase, (-)-beta-phellandrene synthase, terpinolene synthase, and an enzyme that produces both (-)-limonene and (-)-alpha-pinene. The deduced amino acid sequences indicated these enzymes to be 618 to 637 residues in length (71 to 73 kDa) and to be translated as preproteins bearing an amino-terminal plastid targeting sequence of 50-60 residues. cDNA truncation to delete the transit peptide allowed functional expression of the "pseudomature" forms of these enzymes, which exhibited no change in product outcome as a result of truncation. Sequence comparison revealed that these new monoterpene synthases from grand fir are members of the Tpsd gene subfamily and resemble sesquiterpene (C(15)) synthases and diterpene (C(20)) synthases from conifers more closely than mechanistically related monoterpene synthases from angiosperm species. The availability of a nearly complete set of constitutive and inducible monoterpene synthases from grand fir (now numbering seven) will allow molecular dissection of the resin-based defense response in this conifer species, and detailed study of structure-function relationships among this large and diverse family of catalysts, all of which exploit the same stereochemistry in the coupled isomerization-cyclization reaction.     

Seasonal pattern of monoterpene synthase activities in leaves of the evergreen tree Quercus ilex

Monoterpene synthase activities were measured in current year and 1-year-old leaves of holm oak ( Quercus ilex L.). The monoterpene synthase activities of the leaves strongly changed with leaf development and leaf age. Enzyme activities increased rapidly in spring after leaf emergence, reaching maximum values in summer, which declined during the following winter period. In the next spring monoterpene synthase activities recovered in the old leaves to about one-third of values in the previous years and showed a similar seasonal variation as in young leaves. In both leaf age classes the pattern of enzymatic monoterpene formation was stable with α-pinene (33%), β-pinene (28%), and myrcene (26%) as prominent compounds followed by minor fractions of sabinene (10%) and limonene (3%). Monoterpene emission correlated with the activity of the synthetizing enzymes, indicating that monoterpene synthase activities in Q. ilex reflect the seasonal monoterpene emission potential of the leaves.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of a new linalool synthase

Mentha citrata Ehrh. (bergamot mint; Lamiaceae) produces an essential oil containing only the acyclic monoterpenol (-)-3R-linalool and its acetate ester. A cloning strategy based upon the assumption that the responsible monoterpene synthase would resemble, in sequence, monoterpene cyclases from this plant family yielded a cDNA encoding the (--)-3R-linalool synthase. The nucleotide sequence of this monoterpene synthase is similar to those of several monoterpene cyclases from the mint (Lamiaceae) family (62-72% identity), but differs substantially from that of 3S-linalool synthase from Clarkia (41% identity; this composite gene appears to be of recent origin) and from that of 3R-linalool synthase from Artemisia (52% identity; the functional role of this gene is uncertain). Heterologous expression in Escherichia coli of a truncated version of the cDNA (in which the plastidial transit peptide was deleted) allowed purification and characterization of the enzyme, which was shown to possess most properties similar to other known monoterpene cyclases, but with a K(m) value for the natural substrate, geranyl diphosphate, of 56 microM with k(cat) of 0.83 s(-1). These kinetic constants for this 3R-linalool synthase are higher than those of any defined monoterpene cyclase, but the kinetic efficiency does not approach that reported for the 3S-linalool synthase from Clarkia. Although linalyl diphosphate is an enzyme-bound intermediate of monoterpene cyclase reactions, this tertiary allylic isomer of the geranyl substrate is not an efficient precursor of linalool with the M. citrata synthase. Modeling of the active site of this linalool synthase from Mentha and comparison to the modeled active sites of phylogenetically related monoterpene cyclases revealed structural differences in the binding of the diphosphate moiety which initiates the ionization step of the electrophilic reaction sequence and in the access of water to the active site to permit stereoselective quenching of the initially formed carbocationic intermediate to produce 3R-linalool.     

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of a monoterpene synthase gene involved in floral scent production in lily (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lilium</Emphasis> ‘Siberia’)

Lilium ‘Siberia’ flowers produce a strong scent, with monoterpenes serving as the main volatile component. Using a homology-based PCR strategy, we cloned a monoterpene synthase gene (LiTPS) from Lilium ‘Siberia’ petals. The gene consisted of a 1761-bp open reading frame, and encoded a 587-amino acid protein. The deduced amino acid sequence contained a highly conserved DDxxD domain at the C-terminus and RRx₈W motifs at the N-terminus, which are both characteristic features of terpene synthase genes. Additionally, LiTPS was 40–50% similar to already known monoterpene synthases from other plants. Phylogenetic analysis of LiTPS revealed that it belonged to the TPS-b terpene synthase subfamily. LiTPS was predicted to contain an organelle-targeting peptide and function as a monoterpene synthase in plastids. Analyses of the structure of LiTPS suggested that it is a Class III terpene synthase gene. Furthermore, LiTPS was highly expressed in petals, but almost undetectable in stamens, styles, and leaves. During floral development in Lilium ‘Siberia’ plants, LiTPS was expressed in mature flower buds, with the highest expression levels registered on day 4 after anthesis (i.e., with fully open flowers), followed by a gradual decrease in expression levels. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing cloning a Lilium terpene synthase gene. We report a positive correlation between the LiTPS expression level and floral scent component emission rate. This study provides potentially useful information for future research into the possible roles of LiTPS in the monoterpene metabolic pathway.     

A cDNA clone for 3-carene synthase from Salvia stenophylla

The essential oil of Salvia stenophylla contains (+)-3-carene as the principal monoterpene component. Using an enriched cDNA library prepared from mRNA isolated from S. stenophylla peltate glandular trichomes, and a homology-based cloning strategy, a full-length cDNA was isolated that encoded a preprotein of 69.7 kDa which resembled a monoterpene synthase in sequence. Heterologous expression of the gene in Escherichia coli provided a soluble recombinant enzyme capable of catalyzing the divalent metal ion-dependent conversion of geranyl diphosphate to (+)-3-carene and to lesser amounts of limonene, myrcene, 4-carene and beta-phellandrene. This multiple-product synthase is responsible for the production of all of the essential oil monoterpenes of S. stenophylla.     

Characterization of four terpene synthase cDNAs from methyl jasmonate-induced Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii

Numerous terpenoid compounds are present in copious amounts in the oleoresin produced by conifers, especially following exposure to insect or fungal pests. CDNA clones for many terpene synthases responsible for the biosynthesis of these defense compounds have been recovered from several conifer species. Here, the use of three terpene synthase sequences as heterologous probes for the discovery of related terpene synthase genes in Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco (Pinaceae), is reported. Four full-length terpene synthase cDNAs were recovered from a methyl jasmonate-induced Douglas-fir bark and shoot cDNA library. These clones encode two multi-product monoterpene synthases [a (-)-alpha-pinene/(-)-camphene synthase and a terpinolene synthase] and two single-product sesquiterpene synthases [an (E)-beta-farnesene synthase and a (E)-gamma-bisabolene synthase].     

Biosynthesis of marine natural products: isolation and characterization of a myrcene synthase from cultured tissues of the marine red alga Ochtodes secundiramea

The acyclic monoterpene myrcene is the likely progenitor of the unusual cytotoxic halogenated monoterpenes that are found in marine algae and that function as feeding deterrents to herbivores. Myrcene synthase was isolated from suspension cultures of the marine red alga Ochtodes secundiramea, representing the first enzyme of this type from a marine organism. The algal myrcene synthase produces exclusively myrcene from the natural substrate geranyl diphosphate (GDP), utilizes Mg(+2) as the required divalent metal ion cofactor, has a molecular mass of about 69 kDa, and exhibits a pH optimum near 7.2. These features are similar to those of monoterpene synthases from terrestrial organisms. When incubated with neryl diphosphate (the cis-isomer of GDP), the O. secundiramea myrcene synthase produces the cyclic monoterpene limonene, whereas incubation with (+/-)linalyl diphosphate (the tertiary allylic isomer of geranyl diphosphate) yields both acyclic and cyclic monoterpenes. These results suggest that the enzyme is incapable of isomerizing geranyl diphosphate to linalyl diphosphate, a feature common to all monoterpene cyclases from terrestrial sources. The limited catalytic capability of the myrcene synthase may reflect the ancient evolutionary origin of the producing organism. The ability to assay this enzyme in cultured algae, grown under strictly defined conditions, provides an unparalleled opportunity to delineate factors eliciting the biosynthesis of this class of secondary metabolites, to investigate the metabolic pathway leading to the halogenated monoterpenes, and to determine their role in the chemical ecology of marine algae.     

Pinus Halepensis and Quercus Ilex Terpene Emission as Affected by Temperature and Humidity

The short-term relationships of monoterpene emission with temperature and relative humidity were studied in Pinus halepensis L. and Quercus ilex L. seedlings grown in air-conditioned chamber. In P. halepensis terpene emission rate increased with temperature (from 15 to 35 °C) and relative humidity (from 40 - 60 to 65 - 95 %). In Q. ilex, a terpene non-storing species, it increased with temperature only at high relative humidities but not at relative humidities lower than 60 %. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.