Parallel evolution of UbiA superfamily proteins into aromatic O-prenyltransferases in plants
Plants produce ∼300 aromatic compounds enzymatically linked to prenyl side chains via C–O bonds. These O-prenylated aromatic compounds have been found in taxonomically distant plant taxa, with some of them being beneficial or detrimental to human health. Although their O-prenyl moieties often play c...
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Published in | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 118; no. 17; pp. 1 - 9 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
United States
National Academy of Sciences
27.04.2021
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Plants produce ∼300 aromatic compounds enzymatically linked to prenyl side chains via C–O bonds. These O-prenylated aromatic compounds have been found in taxonomically distant plant taxa, with some of them being beneficial or detrimental to human health. Although their O-prenyl moieties often play crucial roles in the biological activities of these compounds, no plant gene encoding an aromatic O-prenyltransferase (O-PT) has been isolated to date. This study describes the isolation of an aromatic O-PT gene, CpPT1, belonging to the UbiA superfamily, from grapefruit (Citrus × paradisi, Rutaceae). This gene was shown responsible for the biosynthesis of O-prenylated coumarin derivatives that alter drug pharmacokinetics in the human body. Another coumarin O-PT gene encoding a protein of the same family was identified in Angelica keiskei, an apiaceous medicinal plant containing pharmaceutically active O-prenylated coumarins. Phylogenetic analysis of these O-PTs suggested that aromatic O-prenylation activity evolved independently fromthe same ancestral gene in these distant plant taxa. These findings shed light on understanding the evolution of plant secondary (specialized) metabolites via the UbiA superfamily. |
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Bibliography: | PMCID: PMC8092402 Edited by Natasha V. Raikhel, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Riverside, CA, and approved March 3, 2021 (received for review November 4, 2020) Author contributions: R.M., A.S., M.M., F.B., A.H., and K.Y. designed research; R.M., A.O., T.T., K.T., T.I., C.V., J.K., M.N., F.J., T. Koeduka, E.M., C.K., A.S., and M.M. performed research; H.Y., T.M., and J.G. contributed new reagents/analytic tools; R.M. and T. Kurata analyzed data; and R.M., A.H., and K.Y. wrote the paper. |
ISSN: | 0027-8424 1091-6490 |
DOI: | 10.1073/pnas.2022294118 |