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Molecular characterization of flavonol synthase from poplar and its application to the synthesis of 3-O-methylkaempferol

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Abstract

Biosynthesis of flavonoid derivatives requires enzyme(s) having high reactivity as well as regioselectivity. We have synthesized 3-O-kaempferol from naringenin using two enzymes. The first reaction, in which naringenin is converted to kaempferol, is mediated by flavonol synthase (FLS). An FLS (PFLS) with strong catalytic activity was cloned and characterized from the genome sequence of the poplar (Populus deltoides). PFLS consists of a 1,008 bp ORF encoding a 38 kDa protein. PFLS was expressed in Escherichia coli with a glutathione-S-transferase (GST) tagging. The purified recombinant PFLS was characterized. Catalytically, it was more efficient than the previously characterized FLSs. A mixture of two E. coli transformants harboring either PFLS or ROMT9 (a kaempferol 3-O-methyltransferase) converted naringenin into 3-O-methylkaempferol.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant from the Biogreen 21 Program, Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea, and Agenda program (NIAS, 11-30-68) and also partially by Priority Research Centers Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2009-0093824).

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Correspondence to Joong-Hoon Ahn.

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Kim, BG., Joe, E.J. & Ahn, JH. Molecular characterization of flavonol synthase from poplar and its application to the synthesis of 3-O-methylkaempferol. Biotechnol Lett 32, 579–584 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-009-0188-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-009-0188-x

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