Neither E nor Z FPP synthase catalyzed

Neither E- nor Z-FPP synthase catalyzed the reaction between 8-THPOGPP and IPP. However, a mutant E-FPP synthase (Y81S) produced 12-THPOFPP from the substrates 8-THPOGPP and IPP, and wild-type E-FPP synthase catalyzed the reaction betweeen 8-AcOGPP and IPP producing 12-AcOFPP. Mutant E-FPP synthase catalyzed the production of 12-AcOFPP and 16-AcOGGPP from the reactants 8-AcOGPP and IPP. Whether or not Z-FPP synthase can catalyze the reaction between AcOGPP and IPP will be the subject of future research. Since their initial isolation over a decade ago [12], Z-farnesyl diphosphate synthases have received surprisingly little attention despite their central role of in metabolism. Our present findings regarding the unique substrate specificity of one representative bacterial enzyme, particularly when compared with that of a bacterial E-FPP synthase, clearly warrant additional enzymatic studies as well as comparisons with enzymes isolated from a variety of other organisms.
Acknowledgement This work was supported in part by a grant from the Cosmetology Research Foundation (to M. N.).
Introduction Terpenes are the largest class of natural products with more than 55,000 structurally and stereochemically diverse compounds, all of which ultimately originate from the universal 5 carbon precursors dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) and isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) (Christianson, 2006). Terpenoids are abundant throughout nature and serve a multitude of functions in plants, animals, bacteria and fungi. They mediate antagonistic and beneficial interactions among organisms, defending them against predators, pathogens and competitors, as well as carrying messages to conspecifics and mutualists regarding the presence of food, mates and predators (Aharoni et al., 2005, Tholl, 2006). Terpenoid synthases or prenyltransferases are ubiquitous enzymes that catalyze the formation of isoprenoids (Vandermoten et al., 2009). They can be divided in two Ponesimod characterized by different initiation of catalysis mechanisms. Class I activity is triggered by metal ionization and Class II by protonation of the epoxide ring. Class I enzymes can be further subdivided into three categories, 1) chain elongation enzymes (head-to-tail), 2) irregular isoprenoid condensation (non-head-to-tail) and 3) cyclization enzymes (Lesburg et al., 1998). The chain elongation enzymes from Class I, can be as well divided into enzymes producing short-chain (C10–C20), medium-chain (C25–C35), and long-chain (C40–C50) isoprenoid products (Gershenzon and Kreis, 1999). Farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS, E.C. 2.5.1.1/2.5.1.10) is a Class I short-chain prenyltransferase. It catalyzes the head-to-tail condensation of DMAPP with two molecules of IPP to generate farnesyl diphosphate (FPP); a C15 essential precursor of cholesterol in vertebrates (Kellogg and Poulter, 1997). FPP is also a very important precursor of juvenile hormone (JH), a sesquiterpene synthesized by the corpora allata (CA), a pair of endocrine glands connected to the brain, which plays vital roles in insect development and reproduction (Goodman and Cusson, 2012). Despite their importance in insect metabolism, only a few insect prenyltransferases have been functionally characterized (Koyama et al., 1985, Sen and Sperry, 2002, Sen et al., 2007a, Sen et al., 2007b, Taban et al., 2009, Vandermoten et al., 2008); with most studies focusing on molecular cloning and functional expression (Castillo-Gracia and Couillaud, 1999, Cusson et al., 2006), and fewer reports on enzymatic characterization. All insect FPPSs are homo-dimeric enzymes, which are active in the presence of divalent cations, such as Mn2+ and Mg2+ (Sen and Sperry, 2002, Sen et al., 2007a, Koyama et al., 1985). They have a conserved α-helical prenyltransferase fold and display aspartate rich motifs (DDXXD) that are implicated in metal recognition, as well as initiation of catalysis (Christianson, 2006). Although the metal-dependence of FPPS catalysis has been known for decades (Robinson and West, 1970), it was not until 2013 that a study of an insect prenyltransferase demonstrated a new regulatory mechanism that controls product specificity of FPPS on the basis of the local concentrations of particular metal ions, resulting in the production of either defense compounds or developmental hormones (Frick et al., 2013, Snyder and Qi, 2013).