title: Purification, cloning, functional expression and characterization of perakine reductase: the first example from the AKR enzyme family, extending the alkaloidal network of the plant Rauvolfia.
abstract: Perakine reductase (PR) catalyzes an NADPH-dependent step in a side-branch of the 10-step biosynthetic pathway of the alkaloid ajmaline. The enzyme was cloned by a "reverse-genetic" approach from cell suspension cultures of the plant Rauvolfia serpentina (Apocynaceae) and functionally expressed in Escherichia coli as the N-terminal His(6)-tagged protein. PR displays a broad substrate acceptance, converting 16 out of 28 tested compounds with reducible carbonyl function which belong to three substrate groups: benzaldehyde, cinnamic aldehyde derivatives and monoterpenoid indole alkaloids. The enzyme has an extraordinary selectivity in the group of alkaloids. Sequence alignments define PR as a new member of the aldo-keto reductase (AKR) super family, exhibiting the conserved catalytic tetrad Asp52, Tyr57, Lys84, His126. Site-directed mutagenesis of each of these functional residues to an alanine residue results in >97.8% loss of enzyme activity, in compounds of each substrate group. PR represents the first example of the large AKR-family which is involved in the biosynthesis of plant monoterpenoid indole alkaloids. In addition to a new esterase, PR significantly extends the Rauvolfia alkaloid network to the novel group of peraksine alkaloids.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Natural Drug Research, Building of College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, 310058 Hangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Lianli
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruppert
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sheludko
authors.forename: Heribert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Warzecha
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stöckigt
mesh_terms: D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000449:Aldehyde Reductase; D000074408:Aldo-Keto Reductases; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011926:Rauwolfia / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D046948:Secologanin Tryptamine Alkaloids / Q000378:metabolism*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D010940:Plant Proteins; D046948:Secologanin Tryptamine Alkaloids; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases; D000074408:Aldo-Keto Reductases; C530961:perakine reductase, Rauvolfia serpentina; D000449:Aldehyde Reductase