title: Expression of Brugmansia candida Hyoscyamine 6beta-Hydroxylase gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its potential use as biocatalyst.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tropane alkaloids, mainly hyoscyamine and scopolamine, are widely used in medicine due to their anticholinergic activity. Scopolamine has a higher demand being the more valuable alkaloid due to its fewer side effects and higher physiological activity. Anisodamine (6beta-hydroxyhyoscyamine) is the intermediate in the conversion of hyoscyamine into scopolamine. Current studies report that this alkaloid is potentially applicable in medicine. The gene that codifies for Hyoscyamine 6-beta hydroxylase, the enzyme responsible for hyoscyamine hydroxylation and epoxidation, leading to scopolamine was isolated from Brugmansia candida.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The h6hcDNA was cloned into pYES2.1 and pYES2.1/V5-His-TOPO vectors to produce an untagged and a tagged protein, respectively. The H6H enzyme was produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae in order to obtain a biological catalyst for potential industrial applications. Protein extracts of the induced yeast were analyzed by Western blot. The expression was detected 4 h after induction and no degradation was observed during the period assayed. The tagged and the untagged proteins were able to transform hyoscyamine, showing a functional expression of the h6hcDNA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The strains obtained in this work are promising and potentially applicable in biocatalytic processes.
authors.affiliation: Microbiología Industrial y Biotecnología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junín 956 6° piso (1113), Buenos Aires, Argentina. agiule@ffyb.uba.ar.
authors.forename: Alejandra B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Cardillo
authors.forename: Julián Rodríguez
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Talou
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Giulietti