title: Cloning and functional expression of a cytochrome P450 cDNA encoding 2-hydroxyisoflavanone synthase involved in biosynthesis of the isoflavonoid skeleton in licorice.
abstract: Isoflavonoids are distributed predominantly in leguminous plants and play critical roles in plant physiology. A cytochrome P450 (P450), 2-hydroxyisoflavanone synthase, is the key enzyme in their biosynthesis. In cultured licorice (Glycyrrhiza echinata L., Fabaceae) cells, the production of both an isoflavonoid-derived phytoalexin (medicarpin) and a retrochalcone (echinatin) is rapidly induced upon elicitation. In this study, we obtained a full-length P450 cDNA, CYP Ge-8 (CYP93C2), from the cDNA library of elicited G. echinata cells. When the flavanones liquiritigenin and naringenin were incubated with the recombinant yeast microsome expressing CYP93C2, major products emerged and were readily converted to the isoflavones daidzein and genistein by acid treatment. The chemical structures of the products from liquiritigenin (2-hydroxyisoflavanone and isoflavone) were confirmed by mass spectrometry. CYP93C2 was thus shown to encode 2-hydroxyisoflavanone synthase, which catalyzes the hydroxylation associated with 1,2-aryl migration of flavanones. Northern-blot analysis revealed that transcripts of CYP93C2, in addition to those of other P450s involved in phenylpropanoid/flavonoid pathways, transiently accumulate upon elicitation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biological Science, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-8510, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: S i
authors.initials: Si
authors.lastname: Ayabe
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D015723:Gene Library; D006035:Glycyrrhiza / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008861:Microsomes / Q000201:enzymology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D007529:Isoflavones; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C402170:cytochrome P-450 CYP93C2 (Glycyrrhiza echinata); D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System