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Publications - Cell and Metabolic Biology

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Publications

Teutschbein, J.; Gross, W.; Nimtz, M.; Milkowski, C.; Hause, B.; Strack, D.; Identification and Localization of a Lipase-like Acyltransferase in Phenylpropanoid Metabolism of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) J. Biol. Chem. 285, 38374-38381, (2010) DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M110.171637

We have isolated an enzyme classified as chlorogenate: glucarate caffeoyltransferase (CGT) from seedlings of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) that catalyzes the formation of caffeoylglucarate and caffeoylgalactarate using chlorogenate (5-O-caffeoylquinate) as acyl donor. Peptide sequences obtained by trypsin digestion and spectrometric sequencing were used to isolate the SlCGT cDNA encoding a protein of 380 amino acids with a putative targeting signal of 24 amino acids indicating an entry of the SlCGT into the secretory pathway. Immunogold electron microscopy revealed the localization of the enzyme in the apoplastic space of tomato leaves. Southern blot analysis of genomic cDNA suggests that SlCGT is encoded by a single-copy gene. The SlCGT cDNA was functionally expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves and proved to confer chlorogenate-dependent caffeoyltransferase activity in the presence of glucarate. Sequence comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence identified the protein unexpectedly as a GDSL lipase-like protein, representing a new member of the SGNH protein superfamily. Lipases of this family employ a catalytic triad of Ser-Asp-His with Ser as nucleophile of the GDSL motif. Site-directed mutagenesis of each residue of the assumed respective SlCGT catalytic triad, however, indicated that the catalytic triad of the GDSL lipase is not essential for SlCGT enzymatic activity. SlCGT is therefore the first example of a GDSL lipase-like protein that lost hydrolytic activity and has acquired a completely new function in plant metabolism, functioning in secondary metabolism as acyltransferase in synthesis of hydroxycinnamate esters by employing amino acid residues different from the lipase catalytic triad.
Publications

Clauß, K.; Baumert, A.; Nimtz, M.; Milkowski, C.; Strack, D.; Role of a GDSL lipase-like protein as sinapine esterase in Brassicaceae Plant J. 53, 802-813, (2008) DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-313X.2007.03374.x

The seeds of most members of the Brassicaceae accumulate high amounts of sinapine (sinapoylcholine) that is rapidly hydrolyzed during early stages of seed germination. One of three isoforms of sinapine esterase activity (BnSCE3) has been isolated from Brassica napus seedlings and subjected to trypsin digestion and spectrometric sequencing. The peptide sequences were used to isolate BnSCE3 cDNA, which was shown to contain an open reading frame of 1170 bp encoding a protein of 389 amino acids, including a leader peptide of 25 amino acids. Sequence comparison identified the protein as the recently cloned BnLIP2, i.e. a GDSL lipase‐like protein, which displays high sequence identity to a large number of corresponding plant proteins, including four related Arabidopsis lipases. The enzymes belong to the SGNH protein family, which use a catalytic triad of Ser‐Asp‐His, with serine as the nucleophile of the GDSL motif. The corresponding B. napus and Arabidopsis genes were heterologously expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves and proved to confer sinapine esterase activity. In addition to sinapine esterase activity, the native B. napus protein (BnSCE3/BnLIP2) showed broad substrate specificity towards various other choline esters, including phosphatidylcholine. This exceptionally broad substrate specificity, which is common to a large number of other GDSL lipases in plants, hampers their functional analysis. However, the data presented here indicate a role for the GDSL lipase‐like BnSCE3/BnLIP2 as a sinapine esterase in members of the Brassicaceae, catalyzing hydrolysis of sinapine during seed germination, leading, via 1‐O ‐sinapoyl‐β‐glucose, to sinapoyl‐l ‐malate in the seedlings.
Publications

Schliemann, W.; Kolbe, B.; Schmidt, J.; Nimtz, M.; Wray, V.; Accumulation of apocarotenoids in mycorrhizal roots of leek (Allium porrum) Phytochemistry 69, 1680-1688, (2008) DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2008.02.015

Colonization of the roots of leek (Allium porrum L.) by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices induced the formation of apocarotenoids, whose accumulation has been studied over a period of 25 weeks. Whereas the increase in the levels of the dominating cyclohexenone derivatives resembles the enhancement of root length colonization, the content of mycorradicin derivatives remains relatively low throughout. Structural analysis of the cyclohexenone derivatives by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy showed that they are mono- and diglycosides of 13-hydroxyblumenol C and blumenol C acylated with 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaric and/or malonic acid. Along with the isolation of three known compounds five others are shown to be hitherto unknown members of the fast-growing family of mycorrhiza-induced cyclohexenone conjugates.
Publications

Schliemann, W.; Schmidt, J.; Nimtz, M.; Wray, V.; Fester, T.; Strack, D.; Accumulation of apocarotenoids in mycorrhizal roots of Ornithogalum umbellatum Phytochemistry 67, 1196-1205, (2006) DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2006.05.005

Colonization of roots of Ornithogalum umbellatum by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices induced the accumulation of different types of apocarotenoids. In addition to the mycorrhiza-specific occurrence of cyclohexenone derivatives and the “yellow pigment” described earlier, free mycorradicin and numerous mycorradicin derivatives were detected in a complex apocarotenoid mixture for the first time. From the accumulation pattern of the mycorradicin derivatives their possible integration into the continuously accumulating “yellow pigment” is suggested. Structure analyses of the cyclohexenone derivatives by MS and NMR revealed that they are mono-, di- and branched triglycosides of blumenol C, 13-hydroxyblumenol C, and 13-nor-5-carboxy-blumenol C, some of which contain terminal rhamnose as sugar moiety.
Publications

Isayenkova, J.; Wray, V.; Nimtz, M.; Strack, D.; Vogt, T.; Cloning and functional characterisation of two regioselective flavonoid glucosyltransferases from Beta vulgaris Phytochemistry 67, 1598-1612, (2006) DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2006.06.026

Two full-length cDNAs encoding flavonoid-specific glucosyltransferases, UGT73A4 and UGT71F1, were isolated from a cDNA library of Beta vulgaris (Amaranthaceae) cell suspension cultures. They displayed high identity to position-specific betanidin and flavonoid glucosyltransferases from Dorotheanthus bellidiformis (Aizoaceae) and to enzymes with similar substrate specificities from various plant families. The open reading frame of the sequences encode proteins of 476 (UGT73A4) and 492 (UGT71F1) amino acids with calculated molecular masses of 54.07 kDa and 54.39 kDa, and isoelectric points of 5.8 and 5.6, respectively. Both enzymes were functionally expressed in Escherichia coli as His- and GST-tagged proteins, respectively. They exhibited a broad substrate specificity, but a distinct regioselectivity, glucosylating a variety of flavonols, flavones, flavanones, and coumarins. UGT73A4 showed a preference for the 4′- and 7-OH position in the flavonoids, whereas UGT71F1 preferentially glucosylated the 3- or the 7-OH position. Glucosylation of betanidin, the aglycone of the major betacyanin, betanin, in B. vulgaris was also observed to a low extent by both enzymes. Several O-glycosylated vitexin derivatives isolated from leaves of young B. vulgaris plants and rutin obtained from B. vulgaris tissue culture are discussed as potential endogenous products of UGT73A4 and UGT71F1. The results are analyzed with regard to evolution and specificity of plant natural product glucosyltransferases.
Publications

Schliemann, W.; Schneider, B.; Wray, V.; Schmidt, J.; Nimtz, M.; Porzel, A.; Böhm, H.; Flavonols and an indole alkaloid skeleton bearing identical acylated glycosidic groups from yellow petals of Papaver nudicaule Phytochemistry 67, 191-201, (2006) DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2005.11.002

From yellow petals of Iceland poppy, besides the known flavonoid gossypitrin, seven kaempferol derivatives were isolated. In addition to kaempferol 3-O-β-sophoroside and kaempferol 3-O-β-sophoroside-7-O-β-glucoside, known from other plants, the mono- and dimalonyl conjugates of the latter were identified by MS and NMR spectroscopy. Structure analyses of a set of co-occurring pigments, the nudicaulins, revealed that they have the identical acylated glycoside moieties attached to a pentacyclic indole alkaloid skeleton for which the structure of 19-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-10H-1,10-ethenochromeno[2,3-b]indole-6,8,18-triol was deduced from MS and NMR as well as chemical and chiroptical methods.
Publications

Schliemann, W.; Schmidt, J.; Nimtz, M.; Wray, V.; Fester, T.; Strack, D.; Erratum to “Accumulation of apocarotenoids in mycorrhizal roots of Ornithogalum umbellatum” [Phytochem. 67 (2006) 1196–1205] Phytochemistry 67, 2090, (2006) DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2006.07.018

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Publications

Baumert, A.; Milkowski, C.; Schmidt, J.; Nimtz, M.; Wray, V.; Strack, D.; Formation of a complex pattern of sinapate esters in Brassica napus seeds, catalyzed by enzymes of a serine carboxypeptidase-like acyltransferase family? Phytochemistry 66, 1334-1345, (2005) DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2005.02.031

Members of the Brassicaceae accumulate complex patterns of sinapate esters, as shown in this communication with seeds of oilseed rape (Brassica napus). Fifteen seed constituents were isolated and identified by a combination of high-field NMR spectroscopy and high resolution electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry. These include glucose, gentiobiose and kaempferol glycoside esters as well as sinapine (sinapoylcholine), sinapoylmalate and an unusual cyclic spermidine amide. One of the glucose esters (1,6-di-O-sinapoylglucose), two gentiobiose esters (1-O-caffeoylgentiobiose and 1,2,6′-tri-O-sinapoylgentiobiose) and two kaempferol conjugates [4′-(6-O-sinapoylglucoside)-3,7-di-O-glucoside and 3-O-sophoroside-7-O-(2-O-sinapoylglucoside)] seem to be new plant products. Serine carboxypeptidase-like (SCPL) acyltransferases catalyze the formation of sinapine and sinapoylmalate accepting 1-O-β-acetal esters (1-O-β-glucose esters) as acyl donors. To address the question whether the formation of other components of the complex pattern of the sinapate esters in B. napus seeds is catalyzed via 1-O-sinapoyl-β-glucose, we performed a seed-specific dsRNAi-based suppression of the sinapate glucosyltransferase gene (BnSGT1) expression. In seeds of BnSGT1-suppressing plants the amount of sinapoylglucose decreased below the HPLC detection limit resulting in turn in the disappearance or marked decrease of all the other sinapate esters, indicating that formation of the complex pattern of these esters in B. napus seeds is dependent on sinapoylglucose. This gives rise to the assumption that enzymes of an SCPL acyltransferase family catalyze the appropriate transfer reactions to synthesize the accumulating esters.
Publications

Fester, T.; Wray, V.; Nimtz, M.; Strack, D.; Is stimulation of carotenoid biosynthesis in arbuscular mycorrhizal roots a general phenomenon? Phytochemistry 66, 1781-1786, (2005) DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2005.05.009

The identification and quantification of cyclohexenone glycoside derivatives from the model legume Lotus japonicus revealed far higher levels than expected according to the stoichiometric relation to another, already determined carotenoid cleavage product, i.e., mycorradicin. Mycorradicin is responsible for the yellow coloration of many arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) roots and is usually esterified in a complex way to other compounds. After liberation from such complexes it has been detected in AM roots of many, but not of all plants examined. The non-stoichiometric occurrence of this compound compared with other carotenoid cleavage products suggested that carotenoid biosynthesis might be activated upon mycorrhization even in plant species without detectable levels of mycorradicin. This assumption has been supported by inhibition of a key enzyme of carotenoid biosynthesis (phytoene desaturase) and quantification of the accumulating enzymic substrate (phytoene). Our observations suggest that the activation of carotenoid biosynthesis in AM roots is a general phenomenon and that quantification of mycorradicin is not always a good indicator for this activation.
Publications

Kobayashi, N.; Schmidt, J.; Nimtz, M.; Wray, V.; Schliemann, W.; Betalains from Christmas cactus Phytochemistry 54, 419-426, (2000) DOI: 10.1016/S0031-9422(00)00129-1

The presence of 14 betalain pigments have been detected by their characteristic spectral properties in flower petals of Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi). Along with the known vulgaxanthin I, betalamic acid, betanin and phyllocactin (6′-O-malonylbetanin), the structure of a new phyllocactin-derived betacyanin was elucidated by various spectroscopic techniques and carbohydrate analyses as betanidin 5-O-(2′-O-β-D-apiofuranosyl-6′-O-malonyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside. Among the more complex betacyanins occurring in trace amounts, the presence of a new diacylated betacyanin {betanidin 5-O-[(5″-O-E-feruloyl)-2′-O-β-D-apiofuranosyl-6′-O-malonyl)]-β-D-glucopyranoside} has been ascertained. Furthermore, the accumulation of betalains during flower development and their pattern in different organs of the flower has been examined.
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