Biosynthesis of the major scent components 3,5-dimethoxytoluene and 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene by novel rose O-methyltransferases.
In Chinese rose species and in many modern varieties, two methylated phenolic derivatives, 3,5-dimethoxytoluene and 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene, are major scent components. We show that cell-free extracts of rose petals catalyse the synthesis of 3,5-dimethoxytoluene and 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene by methylation of precursor molecules. An expressed sequence tag approach was used to identify four highly similar O-methyltransferase sequences expressed specifically in petals and anthers. Thin layer chromatography analysis showed that the activities of these enzymes with different substrates and the proportions of reaction products produced closely mimicked those observed using cell-free petal extracts, indicating that orcinol O-methyltransferases are responsible for the biosynthesis of 3,5-dimethoxytoluene and 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene from un-methylated precursors in this organ.
Reproduction et Développement des Plantes Laboratory, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, UMR 5667 CNRS-INRA-ENSL-UCBL, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364 Cedex 07, Lyon, France.
Gabriel
G
Scalliet
Noellie
N
Journot
Frédéric
F
Jullien
Sylvie
S
Baudino
Jean Louis
JL
Magnard
Stéphanie
S
Channelière
Philippe
P
Vergne
Christian
C
Dumas
Mohammed
M
Bendahmane
J Mark
JM
Cock
Philippe
P
Hugueney
D000840:Anisoles / Q000378:metabolism*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D008745:Methylation; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010696:Phloroglucinol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012118:Resorcinols / Q000378:metabolism*; D027826:Rosa / Q000201:enzymology*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013379:Substrate Specificity
D000840:Anisoles; D012118:Resorcinols; C015560:1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene; C465201:3,5-dimethoxytoluene; C005282:orcinol; D010696:Phloroglucinol; D008780:Methyltransferases