title: Characterization of a novel aphid prenyltransferase displaying dual geranyl/farnesyl diphosphate synthase activity.
abstract: We report on the cDNA cloning and characterization of a novel short-chain isoprenyl diphosphate synthase from the aphid Myzus persicae. Of the three IPPS cDNAs we cloned, two yielded prenyltransferase activity following expression in Escherichia coli; these cDNAs encode identical proteins except for the presence, in one of them, of an N-terminal mitochondrial targeting peptide. Although the aphid enzyme was predicted to be a farnesyl diphosphate synthase by BLASTP analysis, rMpIPPS, when isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate are supplied as substrates, typically generated geranyl diphosphate (C10) as its main product, along with significant quantities of farnesyl diphosphate (C15). Analysis of an MpIPPS homology model pointed to substitutions that could confer GPP/FPP synthase activity to the aphid enzyme.
authors.affiliation: Gembloux Agricultural University, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Entomology, Passage des Déportés 2, B-5030 Gembloux, Belgium. entomologie@fsagx.ac.be <entomologie@fsagx.ac.be>
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vandermoten
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Charloteaux
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Santini
authors.forename: Stephanie E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Béliveau
authors.forename: Micheline
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vandenbol
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brasseur
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cusson
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Haubruge
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004122:Dimethylallyltranstransferase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D051228:Geranyltranstransferase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D004122:Dimethylallyltranstransferase; D051228:Geranyltranstransferase