Down-regulation of tomato PHYTOL KINASE strongly impairs tocopherol biosynthesis and affects prenyllipid metabolism in an organ-specific manner.

ABSTRACT: Tocopherol, a compound with vitamin E (VTE) activity, is a conserved constituent of the plastidial antioxidant network in photosynthetic organisms. The synthesis of tocopherol involves the condensation of an aromatic head group with an isoprenoid prenyl side chain. The latter, phytyl diphosphate, can be derived from chlorophyll phytol tail recycling, which depends on phytol kinase (VTE5) activity. How plants co-ordinate isoprenoid precursor distribution for supplying biosynthesis of tocopherol and other prenyllipids in different organs is poorly understood. Here, Solanum lycopersicum plants impaired in the expression of two VTE5-like genes identified by phylogenetic analyses, named SlVTE5 and SlFOLK, were characterized. Our data show that while SlFOLK does not affect tocopherol content, th

SUBMITTER: Almeida J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4737080 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature