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BIOCHEMICAL PROCESSES AND MACROMOLECULAR STRUCTURES

The Key Role of Phloroglucinol O-Methyltransferase in the Biosynthesis of Rosa chinensis Volatile 1,3,5-Trimethoxybenzene¹

Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture (S.W., N.W.), and Institute for Genetic Research and Biotechnology (S.M., H.D.), Shizuoka University, Shizuoka 422–8529, Japan; Center for Environment, Health and Field Science, Chiba University, Kashiwa, Chiba 277–0882, Japan (Y.U.); andDepartment of Natural Product Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Bunkyoku, Tokyo 113–0033, Japan (M.S., Y.E.)

1,3,5-Trimethoxybenzene is a key component of the Chinese rose odor. This compound is synthesized in three successive methylation steps from phloroglucinol, the initial precursor. A novel, to our knowledge, phloroglucinol O-methyltransferase (POMT) characterized here methylates the first step to produce the intermediate 3,5-dihydroxyanisole, while two previously described orcinol O-methyltransferases catalyze the subsequent steps. We isolated POMT from rose petals and determined partial amino acid sequences of the purified enzyme. The full-length POMT cDNA was isolated and expressed in Escherichia coli. Both the native and recombinant POMT exhibited substrate specificity for phloroglucinol. POMT was expressed specifically in floral organs, in accordance with its role as a key enzyme in the synthesis of rose floral scent compounds.

Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.103.037051.

^* Corresponding author; e-mail acnwata{at}shizuoka.ac.jp; fax 81–54–238–4870.

Received November 30, 2003; returned for revision February 13, 2004; accepted February 13, 2004.

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