A novel glucuronosyltransferase has an unprecedented ability to catalyse continuous two-step glucuronosylation of glycyrrhetinic acid to yield glycyrrhizin.

ABSTRACT: Glycyrrhizin is an important bioactive compound that is used clinically to treat chronic hepatitis and is also used as a sweetener world-wide. However, the key UDP-dependent glucuronosyltransferases (UGATs) involved in the biosynthesis of glycyrrhizin remain unknown. To discover unknown UGATs, we fully annotated potential UGATs from Glycyrrhiza uralensis using deep transcriptome sequencing. The catalytic functions of candidate UGATs were determined by an in vitro enzyme assay. Systematically screening 434 potential UGATs, we unexpectedly found one unique GuUGAT that was able to catalyse the glucuronosylation of glycyrrhetinic acid to directly yield glycyrrhizin via continuous two-step glucuronosylation. Expression analysis further confirmed the key role of GuUGAT in the biosynthesis of gly

SUBMITTER: Xu G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7167757 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature