title: Expression of a functional jasmonic acid carboxyl methyltransferase is negatively correlated with strawberry fruit development.
abstract: The volatile metabolite methyl jasmonate (MeJA) plays an important role in intra- and interplant communication and is involved in diverse biological processes. In this study, we report the cloning and functional characterization of a S-adenosyl-l-methionine:jasmonic acid carboxyl methyltransferase (JMT) from Fragaria vesca and Fragaria×ananassa. Biochemical assays and comprehensive transcript analyses showed that JMT has been erroneously annotated as gene fusion with a carboxyl methyltransferase (CMT) (gene15184) in the first published genome sequence of F. vesca. Recombinant FvJMT catalyzed the formation of MeJA with KM value of 22.3μM while FvCMT and the fusion protein were almost inactive. Activity of JMT with benzoic acid and salicylic acid as substrates was less than 1.5% of that with JA. Leucine at position 245, an amino acid missing in other JMT sequences is essential for activity of FvJMT. In accordance with MeJA levels, JMT transcript levels decreased steadily during strawberry fruit ripening, as did the expression levels of JA biosynthesis and regulatory genes. It appears that CMT has originated by a recent duplication of JMT and lost its enzymatic activity toward JA. In the newest version of the strawberry genome sequence (June 2014) CMT and JMT are annotated as separate genes in accordance with differential temporal and spatial expression patterns of both genes in Fragaria sp. In conclusion, MeJA, the inactive derivative of JA, is probably involved in early steps of fruit development by modulating the levels of the active plant hormone JA.
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology of Natural Products, Technische Universität München, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 1, 85354 Freising, Germany. Electronic address: Anja.Preuss@gmx.net.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Preuß
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology of Natural Products, Technische Universität München, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 1, 85354 Freising, Germany. Electronic address: AugustinChristiane@t-online.de.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Augustin
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y Centro de Biotecnología, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile. Electronic address: carfigueroa@udec.cl.
authors.forename: Carlos R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Figueroa
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology of Natural Products, Technische Universität München, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 1, 85354 Freising, Germany. Electronic address: t.hoffmann@wzw.tum.de.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea, Universidad de Málaga-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IHSM-UMA-CSIC), Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain. Electronic address: valpuesta@uma.es.
authors.forename: Victoriano
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Valpuesta
authors.affiliation: Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria y Pesquera, IFAPA - Centro de Churriana, Cortijo de la Cruz s/n, 29140 Málaga, Spain. Electronic address: josef.sanchez@juntadeandalucia.es.
authors.forename: José F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Sevilla
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology of Natural Products, Technische Universität München, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 1, 85354 Freising, Germany. Electronic address: schwab@wzw.tum.de.
authors.forename: Wilfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schwab
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D003517:Cyclopentanes / Q000378:metabolism*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D031985:Fragaria / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D005638:Fruit / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D015870:Gene Expression; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D054883:Oxylipins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000378:metabolism*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D019076:Transgenes
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D003517:Cyclopentanes; D017931:DNA Primers; D054883:Oxylipins; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C072239:methyl jasmonate; D008780:Methyltransferases; C425043:jasmonic acid carboxyl methyltransferase
keywords: Carboxyl methyltransferase; Fragaria; Fruit ripening; Methyl jasmonate; Misannotation