Unraveling the versatility of CCD4: Metabolic engineering, transcriptomic and computational approaches

• Published in: Plant science (Limerick) Vol. 310; p. 110991
• Main Authors: Varghese, Ressin, S., Udhaya Kumar, C., George Priya Doss, Ramamoorthy, Siva
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.09.2021
• Subjects: Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase; carotenoids; Comparative genomics; exons; growth and development; Metabolic engineering; oxygenases; Phylogenetic analysis; pigmentation; plant growth; surveys; Transcriptomics; trees; Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase; Phylogenetic analysis; Comparative genomics; Metabolic engineering; Transcriptomics
• ISSN: 0168-9452; 1873-2259; 1873-2259
• DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2021.110991

•Structure and multifunctionality of CCD4.•Various metabolic, computational transcriptomic approaches adopted to reveal the functional diversity of CCD4.•Phylogenetic analysis of all the available CCD4 was performed to investigate the evolutionary relationships.•Illustration of CCD4 gene structures to study the exons and poly A site. Carotenoids are economically valuable isoprenoids synthesized by plants and microorganisms, which play a paramount role in their overall growth and development. Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases are a vast group of enzymes that specifically cleave thecarotenoids to produce apocarotenoids. Recently, CCDs are a subject of talk because of their contributions to different aspects of plant growth and due to their significance in the production of economically valuable apocarotenoids. Among them, CCD4 stands unique because of its versatility in performing metabolic roles. This review focuses on the multiple functionalities of CCD4 like pigmentation, volatile apocarotenoid production, stress responses, etc. Interestingly, through our literature survey we arrived at a conclusion that CCD4 could perform functions of other carotenoid cleaving enzymes.The metabolic engineering, transcriptomic, and computational approaches adopted to reveal the contributions of CCD4 were also considered here for the study.Phylogenetic analysis was performed to delve into the evolutionary relationships of CCD4 in different plant groups. A tree of 81CCD genes from 64 plant species was constructed, signifying the presence of well-conserved families. Gene structures were illustrated and the difference in the number and position of exons could be considered as a factor behind functional versatility and substrate tolerance of CCD4 in different plants.