Genetic control and biosynthesis of two new flavone-glycosides in the petals of Melandrium album

In a chemicogenetic analysis of the geographical distribution of flavone-glycosides in the petals of Melandrium album, we found two unknown flavone-glycosides in ten Hungarian and four German populations. By means of classical techniques for the identification and structure determination of flavonoids, the structure of these flavones turned out to be 6-C-glucosylglucosylapigenin and 7-O-glucosyl-6-C-glucosylglucosylapigenin, respectively. Genetic analysis showed that the coupling of glucose to the carbon-carbon bound glucose of isovitexin (6-C-glucosylapigenin) was controlled by a single dominant gene, Fg. Fg controls a UDP-glucose: isovitexin 6-C-glucosylglucosyltransferase. By means of ammonium sulfate fractionation and Sephadex chromatography, the enzyme was purified sixfold. The partly purified enzyme had a pH optimum between 8.0 and 8.5. The apparent K _m value for UDP-glucose in the presence of 1.0 mm isovitexin was 2.2 mm. The apparent K _m value for isovitexin in the presence of 1.8 mm UDP-glucose was 0.08 mm. The glucosyltransferase activity was stimulated by the divalent cations Mn, Mg, Co, and Ca. Neither 7-O-glucosyl nor 7-O-xylosyl isovitexin could serve as an enzyme substrate. Therefore, the biosynthesis of 7-O-glucosyl-6-C-glucosylglucosylapigenin found in the petals of M. album proceeds in a sequential manner: first the formation of 6-C-glucosylglucosylapigenin, followed by 7-O-glucosylation. Isovitexin 6-C-glucosylglucosyltransferase activity controlled by gene Fg could also be demonstrated in leaves of Fg plants. The enzyme probably uses another substrate in these green parts of the plant, because both isovitexin and isovitexin-glycosides are absent.