This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 136/4/4228    most recent pp.104.050567v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Web of Science (25) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Prisic, S. Articles by Peters, R. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Prisic, S. Articles by Peters, R. J. Agricola Articles by Prisic, S. Articles by Peters, R. J.

BIOCHEMICAL PROCESSES AND MACROMOLECULAR STRUCTURES

Rice Contains Two Disparate ent-Copalyl Diphosphate Synthases with Distinct Metabolic Functions¹

Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011

Rice (Oryza sativa) produces ent-copalyl diphosphate for both gibberellin (GA) phytohormone and defensive phytoalexin biosynthesis, raising the question of how this initial biosynthetic step is carried out for these distinct metabolic processes. Here, a functional genomics approach has been utilized to identify two disparate ent-copalyl diphosphate synthases from rice (OsCPS1_ent and OsCPS2_ent). Notably, it was very recently demonstrated that only one of these (OsCPS1_ent) normally operates in GA biosynthesis as mutations in this gene result in severely impaired growth. Evidence is presented here strongly indicating that the other (OsCPS2_ent) is involved in related secondary metabolism producing defensive phytochemicals. In particular, under appropriate conditions, OsCPS2_ent mRNA is specifically induced in leaves prior to production of the corresponding phytoalexins. Thus, transcriptional control of OsCPS2_ent seems to be an important means of regulating defensive phytochemical biosynthesis. Finally, OsCPS1_ent is significantly more similar to the likewise GA-specific gene An1/ZmCPS1_ent in maize (Zea mays) than its class II terpene synthase paralogs involved in rice secondary metabolism. Hence, we speculate that this cross-species conservation by biosynthetic process reflects derivation of related secondary metabolism from the GA primary biosynthetic pathway prior to the early divergence between the separate lineages within the cereal/grass family (Poaceae) resulting in modern rice and maize.

Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.104.050567.

^* Corresponding author; e-mail rjpeters{at}iastate.edu; fax 515–294–0453.

Received July 23, 2004; returned for revision October 5, 2004; accepted October 5, 2004.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. Shimura, A. Okada, K. Okada, Y. Jikumaru, K.-W. Ko, T. Toyomasu, T. Sassa, M. Hasegawa, O. Kodama, N. Shibuya, et al. Identification of a Biosynthetic Gene Cluster in Rice for Momilactones J. Biol. Chem., November 23, 2007; 282(47): 34013 - 34018. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Prisic and R. J. Peters Synergistic Substrate Inhibition of ent-Copalyl Diphosphate Synthase: A Potential Feed-Forward Inhibition Mechanism Limiting Gibberellin Metabolism Plant Physiology, May 1, 2007; 144(1): 445 - 454. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Ikeda, Y. Hayashi, N. Itoh, H. Seto, and T. Dairi Functional Analysis of Eubacterial ent-Copalyl Diphosphate Synthase and Pimara-9(11),15-Diene Synthase with Unique Primary Sequences J. Biochem., January 1, 2007; 141(1): 37 - 45. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. K. Grennan Gibberellin Metabolism Enzymes in Rice Plant Physiology, June 1, 2006; 141(2): 524 - 526. [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Zhu, F. Gao, X. Cao, M. Chen, G. Ye, C. Wei, and Y. Li The Rice Dwarf Virus P2 Protein Interacts with ent-Kaurene Oxidases in Vivo, Leading to Reduced Biosynthesis of Gibberellins and Rice Dwarf Symptoms Plant Physiology, December 1, 2005; 139(4): 1935 - 1945. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]