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Structural and biochemical approaches uncover multiple evolutionary trajectories of plant quinate dehydrogenases
Author(s) -
Gritsunov Artyom,
Peek James,
Diaz Caballero Julio,
Guttman David,
Christendat Dinesh
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the plant journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.058
H-Index - 269
eISSN - 1365-313X
pISSN - 0960-7412
DOI - 10.1111/tpj.13989
Subject(s) - biology , dehydratase , biochemistry , neofunctionalization , shikimate pathway , phosphofructokinase 2 , biosynthesis , enzyme , phylogenetic tree , gene
Summary Quinate is produced and used by many plants in the biosynthesis of chlorogenic acids ( CGA s). Chlorogenic acids are astringent and serve to deter herbivory. They also function as antifungal agents and have potent antioxidant properties. Quinate is produced at a branch point of shikimate biosynthesis by the enzyme quinate dehydrogenase ( QDH ). However, little information exists on the identity and biochemical properties of plant QDH s. In this study, we utilized structural and bioinformatics approaches to establish a QDH ‐specific primary sequence motif. Using this motif, we identified QDH s from diverse plants and confirmed their activity by recombinant protein production and kinetic assays. Through a detailed phylogenetic analysis, we show that plant QDH s arose directly from bifunctional dehydroquinate dehydratase–shikimate dehydrogenases ( DHQD ‐ SDH s) through different convergent evolutionary events, illustrated by our findings that eudicot and conifer QDH s arose early in vascular plant evolution whereas Brassicaceae QDH s emerged later. This process of recurrent evolution of QDH is further demonstrated by the fact that this family of proteins independently evolved NAD + and NADP + specificity in eudicots. The acquisition of QDH activity by these proteins was accompanied by the inactivation or functional evolution of the DHQD domain, as verified by enzyme activity assays and as reflected in the loss of key DHQD active site residues. The implications of QDH activity and evolution are discussed in terms of plant growth and development.

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