A dihydrochalcone-specific O-methyltransferase from leaf buds of Populus trichocarpa implicated in bud resin formation.

ABSTRACT: Production of secreted leaf bud resin is a mechanism for temperate trees to protect dormant leaf buds against frost damage, dehydration, and insect herbivory. Bud resins contain a wide variety of special metabolites including terpenoids, benzenoids, and phenolics. The leaf bud resins of Populus trichocarpa and P. balsamifera contain high concentrations of O-methylated dihydrochalcones, but the enzymes for methylating these compounds remain enigmatic. We used transcriptomics and differential gene expression analyses to identify a gene encoding a P. trichocarpa dihydrochalcone-specific O-methyltransferase, which we named PtDOMT1. Detailed enzymatic analyses demonstrated PtDOMT1 to be a highly selective and regiospecific O-methyltransferase which methylates 4 and 4' positions of dihydrochalco

SUBMITTER: Piirtola EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12116176 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature