Biomedical subjects

Rodney B Croteau

Publications and source records attributed to Rodney B Croteau.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Administering cultured Taxus cells with early precursors reveals bifurcations in the taxoid biosynthetic pathway.

Administering Taxus suspension cells with labeled 5alpha-hydroxytaxadiene and 5alpha,10beta-dihydroxytaxadiene, and the corresponding 5alpha-acetate esters, demonstrated that acetylation at C5 of the monool precursor promotes the formation of 14beta-hydroxy taxoids, such as taxuyunnanine C, at the expense of 13alpha-hydroxy taxoids, including Taxol and its congeners, but that the major bifurcation in taxoid biosynthesis, toward 13alpha- or 14beta-hydroxy taxoids, occurs after 10beta-hydroxylation of the taxane core.

Cells, Cultured↗

PubMed2006

Genetic engineering of taxol biosynthetic genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Baccatin III, an intermediate of Taxol biosynthesis and a useful precursor for semisynthesis of the anti-cancer drug, is produced in yew (Taxus) species by a sequence of 15 enzymatic steps from primary metabolism. Ten genes encoding enzymes of this extended pathway have been described, thereby permitting a preliminary attempt to reconstruct early steps of taxane diterpenoid (taxoid) metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a microbial production host. Eight of these taxoid biosynthetic genes were functionally expressed in yeast from episomal vectors containing one or more gene cassettes incorporating various epitope tags to permit protein surveillance and differentiation of those pathway enzymes of similar size. All eight recombinant proteins were readily detected by immunoblotting using specific monoclonal antibodies and each expressed protein was determined to be functional by in vitro enzyme assay, although activity levels differed considerably between enzyme types. Using three plasmids carrying different promoters and selection markers, genes encoding five sequential pathway steps leading from primary isoprenoid metabolism to the intermediate taxadien-5alpha- acetoxy-10beta-ol were installed in a single yeast host. Metabolite analysis showed that yeast isoprenoid precursors could be utilized in the reconstituted pathway because products accumulated from the first two engineered pathway steps (leading to the committed intermediate taxadiene); however, a pathway restriction was encountered at the first cytochrome P450 hydroxylation step. The means of overcoming this limitation are described in the context of further development of this novel approach for production of Taxol precursors and related taxoids in yeast.

Alkaloids↗

PubMed2005

Coexpression in yeast of Taxus cytochrome P450 reductase with cytochrome P450 oxygenases involved in Taxol biosynthesis.

To maximize redox coupling efficiency with recombinant cytochrome P450 hydroxylases from yew (Taxus) species installed in yeast for the production of the anticancer drug Taxol, a cDNA encoding NADPH:cytochrome P450 reductase from T. cuspidata was isolated. This single-copy gene (2,154 bp encoding a protein of 717 amino acids) resembles more closely other reductases from gymnosperms (approximately 90% similarity) than those from angiosperms (<80% similarity). The recombinant reductase was characterized and compared to other reductases by heterologous expression in insect cells and was shown to support reconstituted taxoid 10beta-hydroxylase activity with an efficiency comparable to that of other plant-derived reductases. Coexpression in yeast of the reductase along with T. cuspidata taxoid 10beta-hydroxylase, which catalyzes an early step of taxoid biosynthesis, demonstrated significant enhancement of hydroxylase activity compared to that supported by the endogenous yeast reductase alone. Functional transgenic coupling of the Taxus reductase with a homologous cytochrome P450 taxoid hydroxylase represents an important initial step in reconstructing Taxol biosynthesis in a microbial host.

Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System↗

PubMed2005

(-)-Menthol biosynthesis and molecular genetics.

(-)-Menthol is the most familiar of the monoterpenes as both a pure natural product and as the principal and characteristic constituent of the essential oil of peppermint (Mentha x piperita). In this paper, we review the biosynthesis and molecular genetics of (-)-menthol production in peppermint. In Mentha species, essential oil biosynthesis and storage is restricted to the peltate glandular trichomes (oil glands) on the aerial surfaces of the plant. A mechanical method for the isolation of metabolically functional oil glands, has provided a system for precursor feeding studies to elucidate pathway steps, as well as a highly enriched source of the relevant biosynthetic enzymes and of their corresponding transcripts with which cDNA libraries have been constructed to permit cloning and characterization of key structural genes. The biosynthesis of (-)-menthol from primary metabolism requires eight enzymatic steps, and involves the formation and subsequent cyclization of the universal monoterpene precursor geranyl diphosphate to the parent olefin (-)-(4S)-limonene as the first committed reaction of the sequence. Following hydroxylation at C3, a series of four redox transformations and an isomerization occur in a general "allylic oxidation-conjugate reduction" scheme that installs three chiral centers on the substituted cyclohexanoid ring to yield (-)-(1R, 3R, 4S)-menthol. The properties of each enzyme and gene of menthol biosynthesis are described, as are their probable evolutionary origins in primary metabolism. The organization of menthol biosynthesis is complex in involving four subcellular compartments, and regulation of the pathway appears to reside largely at the level of gene expression. Genetic engineering to up-regulate a flux-limiting step and down-regulate a side route reaction has led to improvement in the composition and yield of peppermint oil.

Genetic Engineering↗

PubMed2005

Genetic engineering of peppermint for improved essential oil composition and yield.

The biochemistry, organization, and regulation of essential oil metabolism in the epidermal oil glands of peppermint have been defined, and most of the genes encoding enzymes of the eight-step pathway to the principal monoterpene component (-)-menthol have been isolated. Using these tools for pathway engineering, two genes and two expression strategies have been employed to create transgenic peppermint plants with improved oil composition and yield. These experiments, along with related studies on other pathway genes, have led to a systematic, stepwise approach for the creation of a 'super' peppermint.

Crops, Agricultural↗

PubMed2003

Menthofuran regulates essential oil biosynthesis in peppermint by controlling a downstream monoterpene reductase.

(+)-Pulegone is a central intermediate in the biosynthesis of (-)-menthol, the most significant component of peppermint essential oil. Depending on environmental conditions, this branch point metabolite may be reduced to (-)-menthone en route to menthol, by pulegone reductase (PR), or oxidized to (+)-menthofuran, by menthofuran synthase (MFS). To elucidate regulation of pulegone metabolism, we modified the expression of mfs under control of the CaMV 35S promoter in transformed peppermint plants. Overexpression and cosuppression of mfs resulted in the respective increase or decrease in the production of menthofuran, indicating that the control of MFS resides primarily at the level of transcription. Significantly, in both WT peppermint as well as in all transformed plants, the flux of (+)-pulegone through PR correlated negatively with the essential oil content of menthofuran, such that menthofuran, and pulegone increased, or decreased, in concert. These results suggested that menthofuran itself might influence the reduction of pulegone. Although (+)-menthofuran did not inhibit (+)-PR activity, stem feeding with menthofuran selectively decreased pr transcript levels in immature leaves, thereby accounting for decreased reductase activity and increased pulegone content. These data demonstrate that the metabolic fate of (+)-pulegone is controlled through transcriptional regulation of mfs and that menthofuran, either directly or indirectly, influences this process by down-regulating transcription from pr and/or decreasing pr message stability. The ability to reduce both menthofuran and pulegone levels is of commercial significance in improving essential oil quality; however, the physiological rationale for such complex regulation is presently unclear.

Cyclohexane Monoterpenes↗

PubMed2003

Alternative termination chemistries utilized by monoterpene cyclases: chimeric analysis of bornyl diphosphate, 1,8-cineole, and sabinene synthases.

Monoterpene cyclization reactions are initiated by ionization and isomerization of geranyl diphosphate, and proceed, via cyclization of bound linalyl diphosphate, through a series of carbocation intermediates with ultimate termination of the multistep cascade by deprotonation or nucleophile capture. Three structurally and mechanistically related monoterpene cyclases from Salvia officinalis, (+)-sabinene synthase (deprotonation to olefin), 1,8-cineole synthase (water capture), and (+)-bornyl diphosphate synthase (diphosphate capture), were employed to explore the structural determinants of these alternative termination chemistries. Results with chimeric recombinant enzymes, constructed by reciprocally substituting regions of sabinene synthase with the corresponding sequences from bornyl diphosphate synthase or 1,8-cineole synthase, demonstrated that exchange of the C-terminal catalytic domain is sufficient to completely switch the resulting product profile. Exchange of smaller sequence elements identified a region of roughly 70 residues from 1,8-cineole synthase that, when substituted into sabinene synthase, conferred the ability to produce 1,8-cineole. A similar strategy identified a small region of bornyl diphosphate synthase important in conducting the anti-Markovnikov addition to the bornane skeleton. Observations made with these chimeric monoterpene cyclases are discussed in the context of the recently determined crystal structure for bornyl diphosphate synthase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Bifunctional abietadiene synthase: mutual structural dependence of the active sites for protonation-initiated and ionization-initiated cyclizations.

Abietadiene synthase from grand fir catalyzes two sequential, mechanistically distinct cyclizations, of geranylgeranyl diphosphate and of copalyl diphosphate, in the formation of a mixture of abietadiene isomers as the committed step of diterpenoid resin acid biosynthesis. Each reaction is independently conducted at a separate active site residing in what were considered to be structurally distinct domains typical of terpene cyclases. Despite the presence of an unusual 250-residue N-terminal insertional element, a tandem pair of charged residues distal to the insertion was shown to form a functional part of the C-terminal active site. Because abietadiene synthase resembles the ancestral plant terpene cyclase, this observation suggests an early evolutionary origin of catalytically important positively charged residues at the N-terminus of enzymes of this general class. A series of N- and C-terminal truncations of this enzyme were constructed and characterized, both alone and as mixtures of adjacent polypeptide pairs, to assess the proposed domain architecture, the function of the insertional element, and the role of presumptive interdomain contacts. These studies indicated a requirement for the insertional element in functional folding and allowed definition of the minimum primary structure of N- and C-terminal active site peptides. Most importantly, the results showed that, although the two active sites of abietadiene synthase are catalytically independent, substantial contact between the two regions is essential for the functional competence of this enzyme. Thus, the two cyclization sites of abietadiene synthase cannot be dissected into catalytically distinct domains, and, therefore, abietadiene synthase is unlikely to have arisen by fusion of two previously independent genes.

Abies↗

PubMed2003

Taxus metabolomics: methyl jasmonate preferentially induces production of taxoids oxygenated at C-13 in Taxus x media cell cultures.

Cells from suspension cultures of Taxus cuspidata were extracted with pentane as a source of relatively non-polar taxoids. Of the 13 taxoids identified in this fraction, eight were oxygenated at C-14 and two had not been previously described. These taxoids, along with existing taxoid standards, were employed to profile the metabolites of Taxus x media cv. Hicksii cell suspension cultures induced with methyl jasmonate to produce paclitaxel (Taxol). The majority of the taxoid metabolites produced in these induced cultures were oxygenated at C-13, and not C-14.

Acetates↗

PubMed2002

Bornyl diphosphate synthase: structure and strategy for carbocation manipulation by a terpenoid cyclase.

The x-ray crystal structure of dimeric (+)-bornyl diphosphate synthase, a metal-requiring monoterpene cyclase from Salvia officinalis, is reported at 2.0-A resolution. Each monomer contains two alpha-helical domains: the C-terminal domain catalyzes the cyclization of geranyl diphosphate, orienting and stabilizing multiple reactive carbocation intermediates; the N-terminal domain has no clearly defined function, although its N terminus caps the active site in the C-terminal domain during catalysis. Structures of complexes with aza analogues of substrate and carbocation intermediates, as well as complexes with pyrophosphate and bornyl diphosphate, provide "snapshots" of the terpene cyclization cascade.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed2002

Alteration of product formation by directed mutagenesis and truncation of the multiple-product sesquiterpene synthases delta-selinene synthase and gamma-humulene synthase.

Two recombinant sesquiterpene synthases from grand fir, delta-selinene synthase and gamma-humulene synthase, each produce more than 30 sesquiterpene olefins from the acyclic precursor farnesyl diphosphate. These enzymes contain a pair of DDxxD motifs, on opposite lips of the presumptive active site, which are thought to be involved in substrate binding and could promote multiple orientations of the substrate alkyl chain from which multiple families of cyclic olefins could derive. Mutagenesis of the first aspartate of either DDxxD motif resulted in depressed k(cat), with lesser effect on K(m), for delta-selinene synthase and afforded a much simpler product spectrum composed largely of monocyclic olefins. Identical alterations in gamma-humulene synthase produced similar kinetic effects with a simplified product spectrum of mostly acyclic and monocyclic olefins. Although impaired in product diversity, none of the mutant synthases lost entirely the capacity to generate complex structures. These results confirm the catalytic significance of the DDxxD motifs and imply that they also influence permitted modes of cyclization. Deletion of an N-terminal arginine pair in delta-selinene synthase (an element potentially involved in substrate isomerization) altered kinetics without substantially altering product outcome. Finally, mutation of an active-site tyrosine residue thought to play a role in proton exchange had little influence; however, substitution of a nearby active site aspartate dramatically altered kinetics and product outcome.

Alkyl and Aryl Transferases↗

PubMed2002

Hydroxylation of specifically deuterated limonene enantiomers by cytochrome p450 limonene-6-hydroxylase reveals the mechanism of multiple product formation.

The regiochemistry and facial stereochemistry of the limonene-6-hydroxylase- (CYP71D18-) mediated hydroxylation of the monoterpene olefin limonene are determined by the absolute configuration of the substrate. (-)-(4S)-Limonene is hydroxylated at the C6 allylic position to give (-)-trans-carveol as the only product, whereas (+)-(4R)-limonene yields multiple hydroxylation products with (+)-cis-carveol predominating. Specifically deuterated limonene enantiomers were prepared to investigate the net stereospecificity of hydroxylation at C6 and the mechanism of multiple product formation. The results of isotopically sensitive branching experiments of competitive and noncompetitive design were consistent with a nondissociative kinetic mechanism, indicating that (4R)-limonene has sufficient freedom of motion within the active site of CYP71D18 to allow formation of either the trans-3- or cis-6-hydroxylated product. However, the kinetic isotope effects resulting from deuterium abstraction were significantly smaller than expected for an allylic hydroxylation, and they did not approach the intrinsic isotope effect. (4S)-Limonene is oxygenated with almost complete stereospecificity for hydrogen abstraction from the trans-6-position, demonstrating rigid orientation during hydrogen abstraction and hydroxyl delivery. The oxygenation of (4R)-limonene leading to the formation of (+/-)-trans-carveol is accompanied by considerable allylic rearrangement and stereochemical scrambling, whereas the formation of (+)-cis-carveol proceeds without allylic rearrangement and with nearly complete stereospecificity for hydrogen abstraction from the cis-6-position. These results demonstrate that a single cytochrome P450 enzyme catalyzes the hydroxylation of small antipodal substrates with distinct stereochemistries and reveal that substrate-dependent positional motion of the intermediate carbon radical (and, therefore, hydroxylation stereospecificity) is determined by active-site binding complementarity. Thus, epimerization and allylic rearrangement are not inherent features of these reactions but occur when loss of active-site complementarity allows increased substrate mobility.

Catalytic Domain↗

PubMed2002

Abietadiene synthase catalysis: conserved residues involved in protonation-initiated cyclization of geranylgeranyl diphosphate to (+)-copalyl diphosphate.

Abietadiene synthase catalyzes two sequential, mechanistically distinct cyclization reactions in the formation of a mixture of abietadiene double bond isomers as the committed step in resin acid biosynthesis. Each reaction is carried out at a separate active site residing in a structurally distinct domain, and the reactions are kinetically separable. The first cyclization reaction is initiated by protonation of the terminal double bond of the universal diterpene precursor, geranylgeranyl diphosphate. The pH dependence of the overall reaction is consistent with an acid-base catalytic mechanism, and a divalent metal ion plays a role in this reaction probably by binding the diphosphate moiety to assist in positioning the substrate for catalysis. A putative active site for the protonation-initiated cyclization was defined by modeling abietadiene synthase and locating the DXDD motif previously shown to be involved in this reaction. A number of charged and aromatic residues, which are highly conserved in mechanistically related diterpene cyclases, line the putative active site. Alanine substitutions were made for each of these residues, as were asparagine and glutamate substitutions for the aspartates of the DXDD motif. Kinetic evaluation confirmed the involvement of most of the targeted residues in the reaction, and analysis of mutational effects on the pH-activity profile and affinity for a transition state analogue suggested specific roles for several of these residues in catalyzing the cyclization of geranylgeranyl diphosphate to (+)-copalyl diphosphate. A functional role was also suggested for the cryptic insertional element found in abietadiene synthase and other diterpene synthases that carry out similar protonation-initiated cyclizations.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

PubMed2002

Abietadiene synthase catalysis: mutational analysis of a prenyl diphosphate ionization-initiated cyclization and rearrangement.

Abietadiene synthase catalyzes the committed step in resin acid biosynthesis, forming a mixture of abietadiene double-bond isomers by two sequential, mechanistically distinct cyclizations at separate active sites. The first reaction, protonation-initiated cyclization, converts the universal diterpene precursor geranylgeranyl diphosphate to the stable bicyclic intermediate copalyl diphosphate. In the second, magnesium ion-dependent reaction, diphosphate ester ionization-initiated cyclization generates the tricyclic perhydrophenanthrene-type backbone and is coupled, by intramolecular proton transfer within a transient pimarenyl intermediate, to a 1,2-methyl migration that generates the C13 isopropyl group characteristic of the abietane structure. Alternative deprotonations of the terminal abietenyl carbocation provide a mixture of abietadiene, levopimaradiene, and neoabietadiene, and this product profile varies as a function of pH. Mutational analysis of amino acids at the active site of a modeled structure has identified residues critical for catalysis, as well as several that play roles in specifying product formation, apparently by ligation of a magnesium ion cofactor. These results strongly suggest that choice between alternatives for deprotonation of the abietenyl intermediate depends more on the positioning effects of the carbocation-diphosphate anion reaction partners than on the pKa of multiple participating bases. In one extreme case, mutant N765A is unable to mediate the intramolecular proton transfer and aborts the reaction, without catalyzing 1,2-methyl migration, to produce only sandaracopimaradiene, thereby providing supporting evidence for the corresponding stereochemistry of the cryptic pimarenyl intermediate of the reaction pathway.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

PubMed2002

Strategies for transgenic manipulation of monoterpene biosynthesis in plants.

Monoterpenes, the C(10) isoprenoids, are a large family of natural products that are best known as constituents of the essential oils and defensive oleoresins of aromatic plants. In addition to ecological roles in pollinator attraction, allelopathy and plant defense, monoterpenes are used extensively in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The importance of these plant products has prompted the definition of many monoterpene biosynthetic pathways, the cloning of the relevant genes and the development of genetic transformation techniques for agronomically significant monoterpene-producing plants. Metabolic engineering of monoterpene biosynthesis in the model plant peppermint has resulted in yield increase and compositional improvement of the essential oil, and also provided strategies for manipulating flavor and fragrance production, and plant defense.

Genes, Plant↗