• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.92-96
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• 1999

To study the regulatory mechanism of isoprenoid (carotenoid) biosynthesis, we have compared the expression patterns of nine isoprenoid biosynthetic genes in Korean red pepper (Capsicum. annuum cv. NocKaung). The expression of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase gene was initially induced at early ripening stage (I1) and was rather slightly decreased during pepper fruit ripening. The ex-pression of phytoene synthase gene was strongly induced at semi-ripening stage (I2) and the phytoene desaturase transcript was maximally induced at the fully ripened stage (R). Our results suggest that genes encoding two 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase isozymes (HMGR1 and HMGR2) and farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase might be not so critical in pepper carotenoid biosynthesis but three genes encoding geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase, phytoene synthase and phytoene desaturase were induced in a sequential manner and coordinately regulated during the ripening of pepper fruit.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.1764-1770
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• 2008

The goal of this study is to increase production of astaxanthin in recombinant Escherichia coli by engineered isoprenoid pathway. We have previously reported structural and functional analysis of the astaxanthin biosynthesis genes from a marine bacterium, Paracoccus haeundaensis. The carotenoid biosynthesis gene cluster involved in astaxanthin production contained six carotenogenic genes (crtW, crtZ, crtY, crtI, crtB, and crtE genes) and recombinant E. coli harboring six carotenogenic genes from P. haeundaensis produced 400 ${\mu}g$/g dry cell weight (DCW) of astaxanthin. In order to increase production of astaxanthin in recombinant E. coli, we have cloned 4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate reductase (lytB), farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) synthase (ispA), and isopentenyl (IPP) diphossphate isomerase (idi) in the isoprenoid pathway from E. coli and coexpressed these genes in recombinant E. coli harboring the astaxanthin biosynthesis genes. This engineered E. coli strain containing both isoprenoid pathway gene and astaxanthin biosynthesis gene cluster produced 1,200 ${\mu}g$/g DCW of astaxanthin, resulting 3-fold increased production of astaxanthin.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.933-942
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• 2003

CoenzymeQ is a quinone derivative with a long isoprenoid side chain. It transports electrons in the respiratory chain located in the inner mitochondrial membrane of eukaryotes and the plasma membrane of prokaryotes. It also functions as an antioxidant. Saccharomyces cerevisine coq mutants, that are deficient coenzyme Q biosynthesis fail to aerobically grow. They are not able to grow on non-fermentable carbon sources, such as glycerol, either The putative $coq^{-7}$ gene involved in coenzyme Q biosynthesis of Neurospora crassa was cloned and used for complementation of S. cerevisiae coq7 mutant. The predicted amino acid sequence of N. crassa COQ7 showed about 58% homology with Coq7p of S. cerevisiae. The growth rate of S. cerevisiae $coq^7$ mutant transformed with the N. crassa $coq^{-7}$ gene was restored to the wild-type level. The complemented 5. cerevisiae strain was able to grow with glycerol as a sole carbon source and showed less sensitivities to linolenic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.189-195
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• 2012

In plants, the fifth step of the plastidial 2-Cmethyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway is catalyzed by 2-C-Methyl-D-erythritol 2,4-cyclodiphosphate synthase (MECP; EC: 4. 6. 1. 12), an enzyme proposed to play a key role in the regulation of isoprenoid biosynthesis. Here we report the isolation and functional characterization of a 823 bp Brassica rapa MECP (Brmecp) cDNA encoding a deduced polypeptide of 230 amino acid residues. Transcription levels of Brmecp were two-fold higher in petal compared to leaves. In addition, Brmecp expression in cabbage seedlings treated with ABA, $H_2O_2$ and drought was higher than control seedlings. These results were consistent with changes in chlorophyll contents in transgenic Arabidopsis. Thus, the Brmecp may contribute to the production of primary (chlorophylls and carotenoids) isoprenoid end-products in chloroplasts.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.114-119
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• 2018

Astaxanthin is one of the major carotenoids used in pigment has a great economical value in pharmaceutical markets, feeding, nutraceutical and food industries. This study was to increase the production of astaxanthin by co-expression with transformed Escherichia coli using six genes involved in the non-mevalonate pathway. Involved in the non-mevalonate biosynthetic pathway of the strain Kocuria gwangalliensis were cloned dxs, ispC, ispD, ispE, ispF, ispG, ispH and idi genes in order to increase astaxanthin production from the transformed E. coli. And co-expression with the genes to compared the amount of astaxanthin production. This engineered E. coli, containing both the non-mevalonate pathway gene and the astaxanthin biosynthesis gene cluster, produced astaxanthin at $1,100{\mu}g/g$ DCW (dry cell weight), resulting in approximately three times the production of astaxanthin.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.145.3-146
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• 2003

Transgenic Eleutherococcus senticosus plants were prepared by introducing the genes for squalene synthase (SQS), hygromycin phosphotransferase (HPT) and green fluorescent Protein (GFP) through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The enzyme, SQS, represents a putative branch point in the isoprenoid pathway capable of diverting carbon flow specifically to the biosynthesis of phytosterol and oleanolic acid. The full SQS gene was isolated from P. ginseng roots. Early globular embryo clusters developed from embryogenic callus were used as the explant source. (omitted)

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 1995.06b
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• pp.55-75
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• 1995

Induction of HMG-Co A reductase (HMGR) is essential for the biosynthesis of sesquiterpenoid phytoalexins and steroid derivatives in Solanaceous plants following wounding and pathogen infection. To better understand this complex step in stress-responsive isoprenoid synthesis, three classes of cDNAs for HMGR (hmg1, hmg2, and hmg3) were isolated from a potato tuber library. The potato cDNAs had extensive homology in open reading frames but had low homology in the 3'-untranslated regions. RNA gel blot analysis using gene-specific probes revealed that hmg1 is induced by wounding but wound induction is strongly suppressed by arachidonic acid or by inoculation with Phytophthora infestants. In contrast, hmg2 and hmg3 are slightly induced by wounding and strongly enhanced by arachidonic acid or inoculation. The induction and suppression of HMGR genes parallel the suppression of steroid and stimulation of sesquiterpenoid accumulations observed in earlier investigations. Treatment of the tuber disks with a low concentration of methyl-jasmonate doubled the wound induced accumulation of hmg1 transcripts and steroid-glycoalkaloid accumulation, but did not affect the abundance of transcripts for hmg2 or hmg3 nor induce phytoalexins. High concentration of methyl-jasmonate suppressed hmg1 mRNA and steroid-glycoalkaloid accumulation, induced hmg3 mRNA, and did not elicit phytoalexins. Lipoxygenase inhibitors suppressed the accumulation of of hmg1 transcripts and steroid-glycoalkaloids, which were restored by exogeneous methyl-jasmonate. Methyl-jasmonate applied together with arachidonic acid enhanced the elicitor induced accumulation of sesquiterpenes and sustained steroid-glycoalkaloid levels with transcript levels for the various HMGR mRNAs equal to or greater than wound-only treatment. These results domonstrate that the consequences of wound- and pathogen-responses of plants are different at the levels of gene expression and associated secondary metabolism.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.98-103
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• 2010

The medicinal plant Panax ginseng (P. ginseng) contains various phytosterols and bioactive triterpene saponins (ginsenosides). Squalene synthase catalyzes the first committed step in ginsenoside biosynthesis. Transgenic plants of P. ginseng were generated by introducing the squalene synthase gene derived from P. ginseng. Adventitious roots of the transgenic ginseng grew best in B5 medium, and 2 g of inoculum secured an optimal growth rate. Two phytohormones, indolebutyric acid and 1-naphtalene acetic acid, increased root growth and decreased ginsenoside production. Treatment with two selected elicitors, chitosan and jasmonic acid, and a precursor of the isoprenoid pathway, mevalonic acid, enhanced ginsenoside production and retarded ginseng growth rate.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 2010

Sesquiterpenes are found naturally in plants and insects as defensive agents or pheromones. They are produced in the cytosolic acetate/mevalonate pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis. The inducible sesquiterpene synthases (STS), which are responsible for the transformation of the precursor farnesyl diphosphate, appear to generate very few olefinic products that are converted to biologically active metabolites. In this study, we isolated the STS gene from Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, designated PgSTS, and investigated the correlation between its expression and various abiotic stresses using real-time PCR. PgSTS cDNA was observed to be 1,883 nucleotides long with an open reading frame of 1,707 bp, encoding a protein of 568 amino acids. The molecular mass of the mature protein was determined to be 65.5 kDa, with a predicted isoelectric point of 5.98. A GenBank BlastX search revealed the deduced amino acid sequence of PgSTS to be homologous to STS from other plants, with the highest similarity to an STS from Lycopersicon hirsutum (55% identity, 51% similarity). Real-time PCR analysis showed that different abiotic stresses triggered significant induction of PgSTS expression at different time points.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.911-920
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• 2007

Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, continues to be one of the leading infectious diseases to humans. It is urgent to discover novel drug targets for the development of antitubercular agents. The 2-C-methyl-Derythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis has been considered as an attractive target for the discovery of novel antibiotics for its essentiality in bacteria and absence in mammals. MEP cytidyltransferase (IspD), the third-step enzyme of the pathway, catalyzes MEP and CTP to form 4-diphosphocytidyl-2-C-methylerythritol (CDP-ME) and PPi. In the work, ispD gene from M. tuberculosis H37Rv (MtIspD) was cloned and expressed. With N-terminal fusion of a histidine-tagged sequence, MtIspD could be purified to homogeneity by one-step nickel affinity chromatography. MtIspD exists as a homodimer with an apparent molecular mass of 52 kDa. Enzyme property analysis revealed that MtIspD has high specificity for pyrimidine bases and narrow divalent cation requirements, with maximal activity found in the presence of CTP and $Mg^{2+}$. The turnover number of MtIspD is $3.4 s^{-1}$. The Km for MEP and CTP are 43 and $92{\mu}M$, respectively. Furthermore, MtIspD shows thermal instable above $50^{\circ}C$. Circular dichroism spectra revealed that the alteration of tertiary conformation is closely related with sharp loss of enzyme activity at higher temperature. This study is expected to help better understand the features of IspD and provide useful information for the development of novel antibiotics to treat M. tuberculosis.