Abstract
The final enzymatic step in the synthesis of the flavor compound vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde) is believed to be methylation of 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde. We have isolated and functionally characterized a cDNA that encodes a multifunctional methyltransferase from Vanilla planifolia tissue cultures that can catalyze the conversion of 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde to vanillin, although 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde is not the preferred substrate. The higher catalytic efficiency of the purified recombinant enzyme with the substrates caffeoyl aldehyde and 5-OH-coniferaldehyde, and its tissue distribution, suggest this methyltransferase may primarily function in lignin biosynthesis. However, since the enzyme characterized here does have 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde-O-methyltransferase activity, it may be useful in engineering strategies for the synthesis of natural vanillin from alternate sources.
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Abbreviations
- COMT :
-
Caffeic acid O-methyltransferase
- DOMT :
-
3,4-Dihydroxybenzaldehyde-O-methyltransferase
- OMTs :
-
O-Methyltransferases
- SAM :
-
S-adenosyl-l-methionine
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Acknowledgements
We thank Dr. Richard Dixon, Noble Foundation, for the sequencing and Dr. Eran Pichersky, University of Michigan, for advice on the affinity chromatography. This work was supported by a grant from David Michael & Company.
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Communicated by H. Barz
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Pak, F.E., Gropper, S., Dai, W.D. et al. Characterization of a multifunctional methyltransferase from the orchid Vanilla planifolia . Plant Cell Rep 22, 959–966 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-004-0795-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-004-0795-x