Multiple transitions to high l-DOPA 4,5-dioxygenase activity reveal molecular pathways to convergent betalain pigmentation in Caryophyllales.

ABSTRACT: Many specialized metabolic pathways have evolved convergently in plants, but distinguishing multiple origins from alternative evolutionary scenarios can be difficult. Here, we explore the evolution of l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) 4,5-dioxygenase (DODA) enzymes to better resolve the convergent evolution of the betalain biosynthetic pathway within the flowering plant order Caryophyllales. We use yeast-based heterologous assays to quantify enzymatic activity of extant proteins and then employ ancestral sequence reconstruction to resurrect and assay ancestral DODA enzymes. We use a combination of ancestral sequence reconstruction, model-based methods, and structural modelling to describe patterns of molecular convergence. We confirm that high l-DOPA 4,5-dioxygenase activity is polyphy

SUBMITTER: Walker-Hale N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12138177 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature