title: Biosynthesis of bioactive O-methylated flavonoids in Escherichia coli.
abstract: Two bioactive O-methylflavonoids, sakuranetin (7-O-methylnaringenin) and ponciretin (7-O-methylnaringenin), were synthesized in Escherichia coli. Sakuranetin inhibits germination of Magnaporthe grisea, and ponciretin is a potential inhibitor of Helicobacter pylori. To achieve this, we reconstructed the naringenin biosynthesis pathway in E. coli. First, the shikimic acid pathway, which leads to the biosynthesis of tyrosine, was engineered in E. coli to increase the amount of available tyrosine. Second, several genes for the biosynthesis of ponciretin and sakuranetin such as tyrosine ammonia lyase (TAL), 4-coumaroyl CoA ligase (4CL), chalcone synthase (CHS), and O-methyltransferase (OMT) were overexpressed. In order to increase the supply the Coenzyme A (CoA), one gene (icdA, isocitrate dehydrogenase) was deleted. Using these strategies, we synthesized ponciretin and sakuranetin from glucose in E. coli at the concentration of 42.5 mg/L and 40.1 mg/L, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Bio/Molecular Informatics Center, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Ji
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Bong-Gyu
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Joong-Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ahn
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways / Q000235:genetics; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000378:metabolism*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000187:drug effects; D020082:Magnaporthe / Q000187:drug effects; D060847:Metabolic Engineering / Q000379:methods; D000094162:Phytoalexins
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D005419:Flavonoids; C099724:sakuranetin; D000094162:Phytoalexins; C119641:poncirin