植物中UbiA膜结合型芳香族异戊烯基转移酶的研究进展

Research progress of UbiA membrane-bound aromatic prenyltransferases in plants

UbiA膜结合型芳香族异戊烯基转移酶(Prenyltransferases,PT)可催化异戊烯基单元转移到芳香族母核上形成C-C(或C-O)键,在植物中参与合成重要的代谢产物,如泛醌、质体醌、叶绿素、生育酚等。植物中多种具有异戊烯基的芳香族次生代谢物也是该类酶作用的产物。异戊烯基的引入增加了天然产物结构多样性和生物活性。本文介绍了植物中UbiA家族的基本类型,归纳了57个已鉴定功能的与次生代谢物(类黄酮、香豆素、二苯乙烯等)合成相关的UbiA PTs底物选择性、催化特点及其与初生代谢相关PTs的系统发育关系,并对异戊烯基转移酶基因的挖掘策略,以及利用微生物代谢工程定向合成活性异戊烯基化合物的应用前景进行了展望。

UbiA membrane-bound aromatic prenyltransferases(UbiA PTs)catalyze the transfer of prenyl moieties to aromatic acceptor molecules to form C-C or C-O bonds,and participate in the biosynthesis of important plant chemicals,including ubiquinone,plastoquinone,chlorophyll,and tocopherol.A variety of aromatic secondary metabolites with prenyl groups in plants are also products of this class of enzyme.The introduction of prenyl groups increases the structural diversity and biological activity of natural products.In this paper,we introduce the basic types of UbiA families in plants,summarize the substrate selectivity and catalytic characteristics of 57 UbiA PTs related to biosynthesis of secondary metabolites(flavonoids,coumarins,stilbenes),and discuss their phylogenetic relationship with primary metabolism-related PTs.We also discuss the exploration strategies of prenyltransferase genes and the application prospects of targeted synthesis of active prenylated compounds by microbial metabolic engineering.