Journal Article

Monoterpenes in the glandular trichomes of tomato are synthesized from a neryl diphosphate precursor rather than geranyl diphosphate

Xu, Richard, Pichersky, Eran, Schilmiller, Anthony L, Schauvinhold, Ines, Last, Robert L, Wilkerson, Curtis, Schmidt, Adam, Charbonneau, Amanda L, Larson, Matthew

2009

Overview

We identified a cis-prenyltransferase gene, neryl diphosphate synthase 1 (NDPS1), that is expressed in cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivar M82 type VI glandular trichomes and encodes an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of neryl diphosphate from isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate. mRNA for a terpene synthase gene, phellandrene synthase 1 (PHS1), was also identified in these glands. It encodes an enzyme that uses neryl diphosphate to produce β-phellandrene as the major product as well as a variety of other monoterpenes. The profile of monoterpenes produced by PHS1 is identical with the monoterpenes found in type VI glands. PHS1 and NDPS1 map to chromosome 8, and the presence of a segment of chromosome 8 derived from Solanum pennellii LA0716 causes conversion from the M82 gland monoterpene pattern to that characteristic of LA0716 plants. The data indicate that, contrary to the textbook view of geranyl diphosphate as the \"universal\" substrate of monoterpene synthases, in tomato glands neryl diphosphate serves as a precursor for the synthesis of monoterpenes.

• Publisher: National Academy of Sciences,National Acad Sciences
• Subject: alkyl (aryl) transferases / Alkyl and Aryl Transferases - genetics / Alkyl and Aryl Transferases - metabolism / Biological Sciences / Biosynthesis / Biosynthetic Pathways / chromosome mapping / Chromosomes / cis-prenyltransferase / Cloning, Molecular / Cultivars / Cultivation / Dimethylallyltranstransferase - genetics / Dimethylallyltranstransferase - metabolism / Diphosphates / Diphosphates - chemistry / Diphosphates - metabolism / Diterpenes - chemistry / Diterpenes - metabolism / DNA, Complementary - chemistry / DNA, Complementary - genetics / enzyme substrates / Enzymes / Fruit cultivation / Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Gene Library / Genes / geranyl diphosphate / Hemiterpenes - chemistry / Hemiterpenes - metabolism / Kinetics / Lycopersicon esculentum - enzymology / Lycopersicon esculentum - genetics / Lycopersicon esculentum - metabolism / Molecular Sequence Data / Molecular Structure / Monoterpenes / Monoterpenes - analysis / Monoterpenes - chemistry / Monoterpenes - metabolism / monoterpenoids / neryl diphosphate / Organophosphorus Compounds - chemistry / Organophosphorus Compounds - metabolism / Plant Epidermis - enzymology / Plant Epidermis - metabolism / Plant Proteins - genetics / Plant Proteins - metabolism / Plants / Polyisoprenyl Phosphates - chemistry / Polyisoprenyl Phosphates - metabolism / Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Ribonucleic acid / RNA / Sequence Analysis, DNA / Sesquiterpenes / Solanum lycopersicum var. lycopersicum / Substrate Specificity / terpene synthase / Terpenes / Tomatoes / Trichomes