Abstract
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR) regulates the synthesis of mevalonic acid (MVA), the precursor of the myriad of isoprenoid compounds functional in plant cells, with phytosterols representing one class of major importance. Recently, it has shown possible to solubilize and purify the membrane-bound enzyme from a heavy membrane fraction (P 16,000×g) isolated from a cell-free homogenate of etiolated radish seedlings. What is presently known about the molecular and kinetic properties of radish HMGR is reported.
Mevinolin, a highly specific competitive inhibitor of HMGR, has been valuable as a research tool in studying the regulatory role of HMGR activity for the growth and development of intact seedlings and cell cultures. The results obtained indicate a primary effect of mevinolin on phytosterol accumulation, whereas other endproducts of the multibranched isoprenoid pathway, such as ubiquinone in the mitochondria or chlorophylls and carotenoids in the plastids, are less or not at all affected. This and other data can be interpreted to mean that the organelles are autonomous in their capacity to synthesize MVA. Since the mevinolin-induced drop in free sterol accumulation is paralleled by significant plant growth retardation, a rate-limiting role of HMGR activity for phytosterol synthesis and normal development of plants is suggested.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Rodwell, V.W., Nordstrom, J.L., and Mitschelen, J.J. (1976)Adv. Lipid Res. 14, 1–74.
Dugan, R.E. (1981) inBiosynthesis of Isoprenoid Compounds (Porter, J.W., and Spurgeon, S.L., eds.) Vol. I, pp. 95–159, John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Schroepfer, G. Jr. (1981)Annu. Rev. Biochem. 50, 585–621.
Chang, T.-Y. (1983)The Enzymes 16, 491–521.
Sabine, J.R., ed.) (1983)Monographs on Enzyme Biology: HMG-CoA Reductase, CRC Press, Boca Raton.
Preiss, B., ed. (1985)Regulation of HMG-CoA Reductase, Academic Press, New York.
Goodwin, T.W. (1958)Biochem. J. 68, 26–27.
Goodwin, T.W. (1958)Biochem. J. 70, 612–617.
Berry, D.L., Singh, B., and Salunkhe, D.K. (1972)Plant Cell Physiol. 13, 157–165.
Hepper, C.M., and Audley, B.G. (1969)Biochem. J. 114, 379–386.
Lynen, F. (1967)Pure Appl. Chem. 14, 137.
Brooker, J.D., and Russell, D.W. (1975)Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 167, 723–729.
Brooker, J.D., and Russell, D.W. (1975)Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 167, 723–729.
Brooker, J.D., and Russell, D.W. (1975)Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 198, 323–334.
Russell, D.W., and Davidson, H. (1982)Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 104, 1537–1543.
Wong, R.J., McCormack, D.K., and Russell, D.W. (1982)Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 216, 631–638.
Suzuki, H., Uritani, I., and Oba, K. (1975)Physiol. Plant. Pathol. 7, 265–276.
Suzuki, H., Oba, K., and Uritani, I. (1976)Plant Cell Physiol. 17, 691–700.
Suzuki, H., and Uritani, I. (1977)Plant Cell Physiol. 18, 485–495.
Ito, R., Oba, K., and Uritani, I. (1979)Plant Cell Physiol. 20, 867–874.
Grumbach, K.H., and Bach, T.J. (1979)Z. Naturforsch. 34c, 941–943.
Bach, T.J., Lichtenthaler, H.K., and Retey, J. (1980) inBiogenesis and Function of Plant Lipids (Mazliak, P., Benveniste, P., Costes, C., and Douce, R., eds.) pp. 355–362, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Bach, T.J. (1981)Karlsruher Beitr Pflanzenphysiol. 10, 1–219.
Bach, T.J., and Rudney, H. (1983)J. Lipid Res. 24, 1404–1405(A).
Bach, T.J., and Lichtenthaler, H.K. (1984)Biochim. Biophys. Acta 794, 152–161.
Bach, T.J., Rogers, D.H., and Rudney, H. (1984) inStructure, Function and Metabolism of Plant Lipids (Siegenthaler, P.-A., and Eichenberger, W., eds.) pp. 221–224, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Sipat, A.B. (1981)Biochim. Biophys. Acta 705, 284–287.
Mohd, R.B., and Sipat, A.B. (1982)Biochim. Biophys. Res. Commun. 108, 206–212.
Sipat, A.B. (1982)Phytochemistry 21, 2613–2618.
Kreuz, K., Kleinig, H. (1984)Eur. J. Biochem. 141, 531–535.
Arebalo, R.E., and Mitchell, E.D. Jr. (1984)Phytochemistry 23, 13–18.
Nishi, A., and Tsuritani, I. (1983)Phytochemistry 22, 399–401.
Leube, J., and Grisebach, H. (1983)Z. Naturforsch. 38c, 730–735.
Camara, B., Bardat, F., Dogbo, O., Brangeon, J., and Monéger, R. (1983)Plant Physiol. 73, 94–99.
Alberts, A.W., Chen, J., Kuron, G., Hunt, V., Huff, J., Hoffman, C., Rothrock, J., Lopez, M., Joshua, H., Harris, E., Patchett, A., Monagan, R., Currie, S., Stapley, E., Albers-Schönberg, G., Hensens, O., Hirschfield, J., Hoogsteen, K., Liesch, J., and Springer, J. (1980)Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 77, 3957–3961.
Bach, T.J., and Lichtenthaler, H.K. (1982)Z. Naturforsch. 37c, 46–50.
Bach, T.J., and Lichtenthaler, H.K. (1983)Z. Naturforsch. 38c, 212–219.
Endo, A. (1981)Methods Enzymol. 71, 684–689.
Brown, M.S., and Goldstein, J.L. (1980)J. Lipid. Res. 21, 505–517.
Fears, R. (1983)Biochem. Soc. Transact. 11, 642–644.
Chin, D.J., Gil, G., Russell, D.W., Liscum, L., Luskey, K.L., Basu, S.K., Okayama, H., Berg, P., Goldstein, J.L., and Brown, M.S. (1984)Nature 308, 613–617.
Bach, T.J., and Lichtenhaler, H.K. (1982) inBiochemistry and Metabolism of Plant Lipids (Wintermans, J.F.G.M., and Kuiper, P.J.C., eds.) pp. 515–522, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Bach, T.J., and Lichtenthaler, H.K. (1983)Physiol. Plant. 59, 50–60.
Schindler, S., Bach, T.J., and Lichtenthaler, H.K. (1985)Z. Naturforsch. 40c, 208–214.
Kreuz, K., Beyer, P., and Kleinig, H. (1982)Planta 154, 66–69.
Lütke-Brinkhaus, F., Liedvogel, B., and Kleinig, H. (1984)Eur. J. Biochem. 141, 537–541.
Bach, T.J., Rogers, D.H., and Rudney, H., Eur. J. Biochem., in press.
Kita, T., Brown, M.S., and Goldstein, J.L. (1980)J. Clin. Invest. 66, 1094–1100.
Beg, Z.H., Stonik, J.A., and Brewer, H.B. (1977)FEBS Lett. 80, 123–129.
Kleinsek, D.A., Jabalquinto, A.M., and Porter, J.W. (1977)Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 74, 1431–1435.
Rogers, D.H., Panini, S.R., and Rudney, H. (1980)Anal. Biochem. 101, 107–111.
Ness, G.C., Way, S.C., and Wickham, P.S. (1981)Biochim. Biophys. Res. Commun. 102, 81–85.
Kirtley, M.E., and Rudney, H. (1967)Biochemistry USA 6, 230–238.
Dotan, I., and Shechter, I. (1982)Biochim. Biophys. Acta 713, 427–434.
Dotan, I., and Shechter, I. (1983)Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 226, 401–410.
Roitelman, J., and Shechter, I. (1984)J. Biol. Chem. 259, 870–877.
Rogers, D.H., and Rudney, H. (1983)J. Lipid Res. 24, 1412.
Balange, A.P., and Lambert, C. (1983)Plant Sci. Lett. 32, 253–259.
Fromm, H.J. (1975)Initial Rate Kinetics, Springer-Verlag, Berlin/Heidelberg/New York.
Cleland, W.W. (1967)Annu. Rev. Biochem. 36, 77–112.
Döll, M., Schindler, S., Lichtenthaler, H.K., and Bach, T.J. (1984) inStructure, Function and Metabolism of Plant Lipids (Siegenthaler, P.-A., and Eichenberger, W., eds.) pp. 277–280, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Bach, T.J., and Lichtenthaler, H.K., inLipid Interactions Among Plants and Their Pathogens (Fuller, G., and Nes, W. D., eds.) Am. Chem. Soc. Symposium Series, ACS Washington, in press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Bach, T.J. Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase, a key enzyme in phytosterol synthesis?. Lipids 21, 82–88 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02534307
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02534307