title: A determinant of substrate specificity predicted from the acyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase of developing cat's claw seed.
abstract: Cat's claw (Doxantha unguis-cati L.) vine accumulates nearly 80% palmitoleic acid (16:1Delta9) plus cis-vaccenic acid (18:1Delta11) in its seed oil. To characterize the biosynthetic origin of these unusual fatty acids, cDNAs for acyl-acyl carrier protein (acyl-ACP) desaturases were isolated from developing cat's claw seeds. The predominant acyl-ACP desaturase cDNA identified encoded a polypeptide that is closely related to the stearoyl (Delta9-18:0)-ACP desaturase from castor (Ricinis communis L.) and other species. Upon expression in Escherichia coli, the cat's claw polypeptide functioned as a Delta9 acyl-ACP desaturase but displayed a distinct substrate specificity for palmitate (16:0)-ACP rather than stearate (18:0)-ACP. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence of the cat's claw enzyme with that of the castor Delta9-18:0-ACP desaturase suggested that a single amino acid substitution (L118W) might account in large part for the differences in substrate specificity between the two desaturases. Consistent with this prediction, conversion of leucine-118 to tryptophan in the mature castor Delta9-18:0-ACP desaturase resulted in an 80-fold increase in the relative specificity of this enzyme for 16:0-ACP. The alteration in substrate specificity observed in the L118W mutant is in agreement with a crystallographic model of the proposed substrate-binding pocket of the castor Delta9-18:0-ACP desaturase.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11976, USA.
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Cahoon
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shanklin
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Browse
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D019665:Euphorbiaceae / Q000201:enzymology; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D063245:Plant Development; D010944:Plants / Q000201:enzymology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012639:Seeds / Q000201:enzymology*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; C018747:acyl-(acyl-carrier-protein)desaturase