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Naturwissenschaften

Title:		Unique animal prenyltransferase with monoterpene synthase activity
Author(s):		Gilg AB; Tittiger C; Blomquist GJ;
Address:		"Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/MS 330, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557-0014, USA"
Journal Title:		Naturwissenschaften
Year:		2009
Volume:		20090310
Issue:		6
Page Number:		731 - 735
DOI:		10.1007/s00114-009-0521-1
ISSN/ISBN:		1432-1904 (Electronic) 0028-1042 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Monoterpenes are structurally diverse natural compounds that play an essential role in the chemical ecology of a wide array of organisms. A key enzyme in monoterpene biosynthesis is geranyl diphosphate synthase (GPPS). GPPS is an isoprenyl diphosphate synthase that catalyzes a single electrophilic condensation reaction between dimethylallyl diphosphate (C(5)) and isopentenyl diphosphate (C(5)) to produce geranyl diphosphate (GDP; C(10)). GDP is the universal precursor to all monoterpenes. Subsequently, monoterpene synthases are responsible for the transformation of GDP to a variety of acyclic, monocyclic, and bicyclic monoterpene products. In pheromone-producing male Ips pini bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), the acyclic monoterpene myrcene is required for the production of the major aggregation pheromone component, ipsdienol. Here, we report monoterpene synthase activity associated with GPPS of I. pini. Enzyme assays were performed on recombinant GPPS to determine the presence of monoterpene synthase activity, and the reaction products were analyzed by coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The functionally expressed recombinant enzyme produced both GDP and myrcene, making GPPS of I. pini a bifunctional enzyme. This unique insect isoprenyl diphosphate synthase possesses the functional plasticity that is characteristic of terpene biosynthetic enzymes of plants, contributing toward the current understanding of product specificity of the isoprenoid pathway"
Keywords:		Acyclic Monoterpenes Alkenes/metabolism Alkyl and Aryl Transferases/genetics/*metabolism Animals Coleoptera/enzymology/metabolism DNA Primers Dimethylallyltranstransferase/genetics/*metabolism Diphosphates/*metabolism Diterpenes/*metabolism Escherichia co;
Notes:		"MedlineGilg, Anna B Tittiger, Claus Blomquist, Gary J eng P20 RR-016464/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. Germany 2009/03/12 Naturwissenschaften. 2009 Jun; 96(6):731-5. doi: 10.1007/s00114-009-0521-1. Epub 2009 Mar 10"