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Isolation of a Kaurene Synthetase Inhibitor from Castor Bean Seedlings and Cell Suspension Cultures

Department of Biochemistry, The George S. Wise Center for Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel-Aviv, Israel

Biosynthesis of ent-kaurene was investigated in extracts of cell suspension cultures and seedlings of castor bean. Both cell-free extracts contain an inhibitor of kaurene synthetase. The inhibition affects mainly the cyclization of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate to copalyl pyrophosphate (activity A) and has little or no effect on the further cyclization of copalyl pyrophosphate to ent-kaurene (activity B) in both castor bean and Fusarium moniliforme cell-free enzyme preparations. In castor bean cell suspension cultures, the inhibitor diffuses out of the cells to the growth medium. The inhibitor is stable to 100 C heat treatment for 10 minutes and exposure to pH values of 2.0 or 13.0, and it diffuses through a dialysis bag (10⁴-dalton cutoff). Gel filtration chromatography of the inhibitor on a calibrated Bio-Gel P-10 column indicated a molecular weight of 7,500. Kinetic studies indicate that the inhibition of activity of A of kaurene synthetase is noncompetitive and reversible.