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Molecular cloning and characterization of drimenol synthase from valerian plant ( Valeriana officinalis )
Author(s) -
Kwon Moonhyuk,
Cochrane Stephen A.,
Vederas John C.,
Ro Dae-Kyun
Publication year - 2014
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/j.febslet.2014.10.031
Subject(s) - sesquiterpene , atp synthase , farnesol , terpene , biochemistry , valerian , enzyme , chemistry , stereochemistry , biology , botany
Drimenol, a sesquiterpene alcohol, and its derivatives display diverse bio‐activities in nature. However, a drimenol synthase gene has yet to be identified. We identified a new sesquiterpene synthase cDNA ( VoTPS3 ) in valerian plant ( Valeriana officinalis ). Purification and NMR analyses of the VoTPS3‐produced terpene, and characterization of the VoTPS3 enzyme confirmed that VoTPS3 synthesizes (−)‐drimenol. In feeding assays, possible reaction intermediates, farnesol and drimenyl diphosphate, could not be converted to drimenol, suggesting that the intermediate remains tightly bound to VoTPS3 during catalysis. A mechanistic consideration of (−)‐drimenol synthesis suggests that drimenol synthase is likely to use a protonation‐initiated cyclization, which is rare for sesquiterpene synthases. VoTPS3 can be used to produce (−)‐drimenol, from which useful drimane‐type terpenes can be synthesized.