Germacrene C was found by GC-MS and NMR analysis to be the most abundant sesquiterpene in the leaf oil of
Lycopersicon esculentum
cv. VFNT Cherry, with lesser amounts of germacrene A, guaia-6,9-diene, germacrene B, β-caryophyllene, α-humulene, and germacrene D. Soluble enzyme preparations from leaves catalyzed the divalent metal ion-dependent cyclization of [1-
3
H]farnesyl diphosphate to these same sesquiterpene olefins, as determined by radio-GC. To obtain a germacrene synthase cDNA, a set of degenerate primers was constructed based on conserved amino acid sequences of related terpenoid cyclases. With cDNA prepared from leaf epidermis-enriched mRNA, these primers amplified a 767-bp fragment that was used as a hybridization probe to screen the cDNA library. Thirty-one clones were evaluated for functional expression of terpenoid cyclase activity in
Escherichia coli
by using labeled geranyl, farnesyl, and geranylgeranyl diphosphates as substrates. Nine cDNA isolates expressed sesquiterpene synthase activity, and GC-MS analysis of the products identified germacrene C with smaller amounts of germacrene A, B, and D. None of the expressed proteins was active with geranylgeranyl diphosphate; however, one truncated protein converted geranyl diphosphate to the monoterpene limonene. The cDNA inserts specify a deduced polypeptide of 548 amino acids (
M
r
= 64,114), and sequence comparison with other plant sesquiterpene cyclases indicates that germacrene C synthase most closely resembles cotton δ-cadinene synthase (50% identity).
通过GC-MS和NMR分析,发现Germacrene C是番茄(Lycopersicon esculentum cv. VFNT Cherry)叶油中最丰富的倍半萜化合物,较少量的Germacrene A、guaia-6,9-diene、Germacrene B、β-caryophyllene、α-humulene和Germacrene D。叶子中的可溶性酶制剂催化了[1-3H]farnesyl二磷酸盐的双价金属离子依赖性环化反应,形成了这些倍半萜烯烃,这是通过放射性气相色谱确定的。为了获得Germacrene合酶cDNA,构建了一组退化引物,基于相关萜类环化酶的保守氨基酸序列。使用叶表皮富集的mRNA制备的cDNA,这些引物扩增了一个767 bp的片段,用作杂交探针筛选cDNA文库。使用标记的geranyl、farnesyl和geranylgeranyl二磷酸盐作为底物,在大肠杆菌中评估了31个cDNA克隆的萜类环化酶活性。9个cDNA分离物表达了倍半萜合酶活性,GC-MS分析产品鉴定出Germacrene C以及少量的Germacrene A、B和D。没有任何表达蛋白对geranylgeranyl二磷酸盐具有活性,但是一个截短的蛋白质将geranyl二磷酸盐转化为单萜烯柠檬烯。cDNA插入物指定了一个由548个氨基酸(Mr=64,114)组成的推导多肽,与其他植物倍半萜环化酶的序列比较表明,Germacrene C合酶最接近棉花δ-cadinene合酶(50%同源性)。