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Characterization of α-humulene synthases responsible for the production of sesquiterpenes induced by methyl jasmonate in Aquilaria cell culture

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  • Biologically Active Natural Products from Microorganisms and Plants
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Abstract

The resinous portions of Aquilaria and Gyrinops plants are known as ‘agarwood’ and have a distinctive fragrance. To examine the biosynthesis of these fragrant compounds, we previously established cell cultures of Aquilaria crassna in which the production of three sesquiterpenes (α-guaiene, α-humulene, and δ-guaiene) could be induced by methyl jasmonate (MJ), and showed that cloned δ-guaiene synthase from MJ-treated cells is involved in the synthesis of these three compounds, although only very small amounts of α-humulene are produced. In the present study, cDNAs encoding α-humulene synthases were also isolated. Three putative sesquiterpene synthase clones (AcHS1–3) isolated from the MJ-treated cells had very similar amino acid sequences and shared 52 % identity with δ-guaiene synthases. The recombinant enzymes catalyzed the formation of α-humulene as a major product. Expression of transcripts of the α-humulene synthase and δ-guaiene synthase genes in cultured cells increased after treatment with MJ. These results revealed that these α-humulene and δ-guaiene synthases are involved in the synthesis of three sesquiterpenes induced by MJ treatment.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Ms. Kaori Nakano for her technical help in cloning α-humulene synthases. This work was partially supported by the Takeda Science foundation (funds to M. Ito).

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  1. Department of Pharmacognosy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Yukie Kumeta & Michiho Ito

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  1. Yukie Kumeta
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  2. Michiho Ito
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Correspondence to Michiho Ito.

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Kumeta, Y., Ito, M. Characterization of α-humulene synthases responsible for the production of sesquiterpenes induced by methyl jasmonate in Aquilaria cell culture. J Nat Med 70, 452–459 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-016-0999-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-016-0999-8

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