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Chen J, Tan J, Duan X, Wang Y, Wen J, Li W, Li Z, Wang G, Xu H. Plastidial engineering with coupled farnesyl diphosphate pool reconstitution and enhancement for sesquiterpene biosynthesis in tomato fruit. Metab Eng 2023; 77:41-52. [PMID: 36893914 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2023.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Sesquiterpenes represent a large class of terpene compounds found in plants with broad applications such as pharmaceuticals and biofuels. The plastidial MEP pathway in ripening tomato fruit is naturally optimized to provide the 5-carbon isoprene building blocks of all terpenes for production of the tetraterpene pigment lycopene and other carotenoids, making it an excellent plant system to be engineered for production of high-value terpenoids. We reconstituted and enhanced the pool of sesquiterpene precursor farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) in plastids of tomato fruit by overexpressing the fusion gene DXS-FPPS encoding a fusion protein of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS) linked with farnesyl diphosphate synthase (originally called farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase, and abbreviated as FPPS) under the control of fruit-ripening specific polygalacturonase (PG) promoter concomitant with substantial reduction in lycopene content and large production of FPP-derived squalene. The supply of precursors achieved by the fusion gene expression can be harnessed by an engineered sesquiterpene synthase that is retargeted to plastid to engineer high-yield sesquiterpene production in tomato fruit, offering an effective production system for high-value sesquiterpene ingredients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
| | - Jing Tan
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
| | - Xinyu Duan
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
| | - Ying Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
| | - Jing Wen
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
| | - Wei Li
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Agricultural Synthetic Biology, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, 518120, China; Kunpeng Institute of Modern Agriculture at Foshan, Foshan, 528200, China.
| | - Zhengguo Li
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
| | - Guodong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Center for Plant Gene Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Haiyang Xu
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
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Wang C, Wang Y, Chen J, Liu L, Yang M, Li Z, Wang C, Pichersky E, Xu H. Synthesis of 4-methylvaleric acid, a precursor of pogostone, involves a 2-isobutylmalate synthase related to 2-isopropylmalate synthase of leucine biosynthesis. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 235:1129-1145. [PMID: 35485988 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We show here that the side chain of pogostone, one of the major components of patchouli oil obtained from Pogostemon cablin and possessing a variety of pharmacological activities, is derived from 4-methylvaleric acid. We also show that 4-methylvaleric acid is produced through the one-carbon α-ketoacid elongation pathway with the involvement of the key enzyme 2-isobutylmalate synthase (IBMS), a newly identified enzyme related to isopropylmalate synthase (IPMS) of leucine (Leu) biosynthesis. Site-directed mutagenesis identified Met132 in the N-terminal catalytic region as affecting the substrate specificity of PcIBMS1. Even though PcIBMS1 possesses the C-terminal domain that in IPMS serves to mediate Leu inhibition, it is insensitive to Leu. The observation of the evolution of IBMS from IPMS, as well as previously reported examples of IPMS-related genes involved in making glucosinolates in Brassicaceae, acylsugars in Solanaceae, and flavour compounds in apple, indicate that IPMS genes represent an important pool for the independent evolution of genes for specialised metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chu Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
- Center of Plant Functional Genomics, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Ying Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
- Center of Plant Functional Genomics, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Jing Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
- Center of Plant Functional Genomics, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Lang Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
- Center of Plant Functional Genomics, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Mingxia Yang
- The Center for Microbes, Development and Health, Institute Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Zhengguo Li
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
- Center of Plant Functional Genomics, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Chengyuan Wang
- The Center for Microbes, Development and Health, Institute Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Eran Pichersky
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Haiyang Xu
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
- Center of Plant Functional Genomics, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
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Lou YR, Pichersky E, Last RL. Deep roots and many branches: Origins of plant-specialized metabolic enzymes in general metabolism. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 66:102192. [PMID: 35217473 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2022.102192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Collectively, plants produce hundreds of thousands of specialized metabolites from simple building blocks such as amino acids, fatty acids, and isoprenoids. As additional specialized metabolic enzymes are described, there is increasing recognition of the importance of cooption of general metabolic enzymes to specialized metabolism by gene duplication, narrowing of expression, and alteration of enzymatic activities. Here, we examine how several classes of enzymes were each coopted multiple times. We demonstrate the simplicity of achieving the synthesis of analogous chemicals by coopting existing enzymes and summarize emerging insights that could inform rational metabolic engineering of both general and specialized metabolic enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann-Ru Lou
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Eran Pichersky
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Robert L Last
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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Wang Y, Wen J, Liu L, Chen J, Wang C, Li Z, Wang G, Pichersky E, Xu H. Engineering of tomato type VI glandular trichomes for trans-chrysanthemic acid biosynthesis, the acid moiety of natural pyrethrin insecticides. Metab Eng 2022; 72:188-199. [PMID: 35339691 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2022.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Glandular trichomes, known as metabolic cell factories, have been proposed as highly suitable for metabolically engineering the production of plant high-value specialized metabolites. Natural pyrethrins, found only in Dalmatian pyrethrum (Tanacetum cinerariifolium), are insecticides with low mammalian toxicity and short environmental persistence. Type I pyrethrins are esters of the monoterpenoid trans-chrysanthemic acid with one of the three rethrolone-type alcohols. To test if glandular trichomes can be made to synthesize trans-chrysanthemic acid, we reconstructed its biosynthetic pathway in tomato type VI glandular trichomes, which produce large amounts of terpenoids that share the precursor dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) with this acid. This was achieved by coexpressing the trans-chrysanthemic acid pathway related genes including TcCDS encoding chrysanthemyl diphosphate synthase and the fusion gene of TcADH2 encoding the alcohol dehydrogenase 2 linked with TcALDH1 encoding the aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 under the control of a newly identified type VI glandular trichome-specific metallocarboxypeptidase inhibitor promoter. Whole tomato leaves harboring type VI glandular trichomes expressing all three aformentioned genes had a concentration of total trans-chrysanthemic acid that was about 1.5-fold higher (by mole number) than the levels of β-phellandrene, the dominant monoterpene present in non-transgenic leaves, while the levels of β-phellandrene and the representative sesquiterpene β-caryophyllene in transgenic leaves were reduced by 96% and 81%, respectively. These results suggest that the tomato type VI glandular trichome is an alternative platform for the biosynthesis of trans-chrysanthemic acid by metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China; Center of Plant Functional Genomics, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
| | - Jing Wen
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China; Center of Plant Functional Genomics, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
| | - Lang Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China; Center of Plant Functional Genomics, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
| | - Jing Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China; Center of Plant Functional Genomics, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
| | - Chu Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China; Center of Plant Functional Genomics, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
| | - Zhengguo Li
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China; Center of Plant Functional Genomics, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
| | - Guodong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Center for Plant Gene Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China.
| | - Eran Pichersky
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Haiyang Xu
- School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China; Center of Plant Functional Genomics, Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
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