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Molecular cloning and expression in Escherichia coli of a cyanobacterial gene coding for phytoene synthase, a carotenoid biosynthesis enzyme
Author(s) -
Chamovitz Daniel,
Misawa Norihiko,
Sandmann Gerhard,
Hirschberg Joseph
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(92)80310-d
Subject(s) - phytoene synthase , phytoene , biochemistry , phytoene desaturase , geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate , escherichia coli , biology , atp synthase , biosynthesis , complementary dna , chromoplast , enzyme , gene , plastid , prenylation , chloroplast
The first committed step in the biosynthetic pathway of carotenoids in plants and algae is the conversion of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) to prephytoene pyrophosphate (PPPP), which is converted to phytoene. We have cloned the gene pys that encodes the enzyme phytoene synthase in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus PCC7942. The co‐expression of pys in cells of Escherichia coli together with the gene crtE from Erwinia uredovora , which encodes geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase, resulted in accumulation of phytoene. This result indicates that phytoene synthase is a single polypeptide enzyme that catalyzes the 2‐step reaction from GGPP to phytoene. The deduced amino acid sequence of pys is highly conserved with that of pTOM5, a tomato cDNA that is differentially expressed during fruit ripening. These findings suggest that pTOM5 encodes phytoene synthase in tomato.