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A Customizable Approach for the Enzymatic Production and Purification of Diterpenoid Natural Products
Published on: October 4, 2019
Evolution of a complex locus for terpene biosynthesis in solanum
Yuki Matsuba1, Thuong T H Nguyen, Krystle Wiegert
1Department of Molecular, University of Michigan, An Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
The Plant Cell
|June 13, 2013
Summary
Plant gene clusters for defense compounds evolved through gene duplication and divergence. Tomato and related species show how terpene synthase genes and cis-prenyl transferase genes cooperate in specialized metabolite synthesis.
Area of Science:
- Plant Molecular Biology
- Metabolomics
- Evolutionary Genetics
Background:
- Functional gene clusters, encoding multiple enzymes for a single metabolic pathway, are found in plant genomes.
- These clusters are often associated with the biosynthesis of specialized defensive metabolites.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolution and function of a gene cluster in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) involved in terpene synthesis.
- To understand the evolutionary mechanisms, including gene duplication and divergence, that shaped this functional gene cluster.
Main Methods:
- Comparative genomic analysis of gene clusters in tomato and related Solanum species.
- Identification and characterization of terpene synthase (TPS) and cis-prenyl transferase (CPT) genes within the clusters.
- Phylogenetic analysis to infer evolutionary relationships between TPS genes.
Main Results:
- The tomato gene cluster contains TPS genes synthesizing monoterpenes and diterpenes from cis-prenyl diphosphates, with CPT genes also located in the cluster.
- Monoterpene synthase genes likely arose from a diterpene synthase gene via duplication and divergence.
- In Solanum habrochaites, a new sesquiterpene synthase gene evolved through duplication and gene conversion events involving TPS and diterpene synthase genes.
Conclusions:
- The Solanum gene cluster evolved through duplication and divergence of TPS genes, acquiring altered substrate specificities for cis-prenyl diphosphates.
- The acquisition of CPT genes also contributed to the evolution of this functional gene cluster.
- This study provides insights into the evolutionary dynamics of plant specialized metabolite gene clusters.
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