Biosynthesis of the oxygenated diterpene nezukol in the medicinal plant Isodon rubescens is catalyzed by a pair of diterpene synthases.

ABSTRACT: Plants produce an immense diversity of natural products (i.e. secondary or specialized metabolites) that offer a rich source of known and potentially new pharmaceuticals and other desirable bioproducts. The Traditional Chinese Medicinal plant Isodon rubescens (Lamiaceae) contains an array of bioactive labdane-related diterpenoid natural products. Of these, the ent-kauranoid oridonin is the most prominent specialized metabolite that has been extensively studied for its potent antimicrobial and anticancer efficacy. Mining of a previously established transcriptome of I. rubescens leaf tissue identified seven diterpene synthase (diTPSs) candidates. Here we report the functional characterization of four I. rubescens diTPSs. IrTPS5 and IrTPS3 were identified as an ent-copalyl diphosphate (CPP) s

SUBMITTER: Pelot KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5405970 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature