Vitamin B6 is an essential metabolite in all organisms. It can act as a coenzyme for numerous metabolic enzymes and has recently been shown to be a potent antioxidant. Plants and microorganisms have a de novo biosynthetic pathway for vitamin B6, but animals must obtain it from dietary sources. In Escherichia coli, it is known that the vitamin is derived from deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate (an intermediate in the nonmevalonate pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis) and 4-phosphohydroxy-L-threonine. It has been assumed that vitamin B6 is synthesized in the same way in plants, but this hypothesis has never been experimentally proven. Here, we show that, in plants, synthesis of the vitamin takes an entirely different route, which does not involve deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate but instead utilizes intermediates from the pentose phosphate pathway, i.e., ribose 5-phosphate or ribulose 5-phosphate, and from glycolysis, i.e., dihydroxyacetone phosphate or glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. The revelation is based on the recent discovery that, in bacteria and fungi, a novel pathway is in place that involves two genes (PDX1 and PDX2), neither of which is homologous to any of those involved in the previously doctrined E. coli pathway. We demonstrate that Arabidopsis thaliana has two functional homologs of PDX1 and a single homolog of PDX2. Furthermore, and contrary to what was inferred previously, we show that the pathway appears to be cytosolic and is not localized to the plastid. Last, we report that the single PDX2 homolog is essential for plant viability.Arabidopsis ͉ isoprenoid ͉ pyridoxine ͉ deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate V itamin B6 is well renowned in the medical field for being involved in more bodily functions than any other single nutrient. The vitamin exists in various forms, i.e., pyridoxal, pyridoxine, pyridoxamine, and their phosphorylated derivatives. As pyridoxal 5Ј-phosphate, it is an essential cofactor for numerous metabolic enzymes including amino acid metabolism and antibiotic biosynthesis. Most interestingly, it has recently been found that the vitamin is a potent antioxidant with a particular ability to quench reactive oxygen species such as superoxide and singlet oxygen (1, 2). The de novo biosynthesis of vitamin B6 takes place in microorganisms and plants, but this ability has been lost in animals, making it essential in the human diet.Despite the vitamin's obvious physiological and pharmaceutical importance, its biosynthesis has predominantly been studied in the Gram-negative bacterium, Escherichia coli, where it is derived from deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate (DXP, an intermediate in the nonmevalonate pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis) and 4-phosphohydroxy-L-threonine (refs. 3-7 and Scheme 1). Astonishingly, although plants are a major source of vitamin B6 in the human diet, our understanding of the pathway therein is very limited and has been assumed to be derived the same way as in E. coli. There is one preliminary study that reports on its biosynthesis in spinach (8), whereas other, more in-depth studies have addressed the...

SummaryVitamin B6 is an essential coenzyme for numerous metabolic enzymes and is a potent antioxidant. In plants, very little is known about its contribution to viability, growth and development. The de novo pathway of vitamin B6 biosynthesis has only been described recently and involves the protein PDX1 (pyridoxal phosphate synthase protein). Arabidopsis thaliana has three homologs of PDX1, two of which, PDX1.1 and PDX1.3, have been demonstrated as functional in vitamin B6 biosynthesis in vitro and by yeast complementation. In this study, we show that the spatial and temporal expression patterns of PDX1.1 and PDX1.3, investigated at the transcript and protein level, largely overlap, but PDX1.3 is more abundant than PDX1.1. Development of single pdx1.1 and pdx1.3 mutants is partially affected, whereas disruption of both genes causes embryo lethality at the globular stage. Detailed examination of the single mutants, in addition to those that only have a single functional copy of either gene, indicates that although these genes are partially redundant in vitamin B6 synthesis, PDX1.3 is more requisite than PDX1.1. Developmental distinctions correlate with the vitamin B6 content. Furthermore, we provide evidence that in addition to being essential for plant growth and development, vitamin B6 also plays a role in stress tolerance and photoprotection of plants.

Background: A non-catalytic vitamin B 6 biosynthesis protein (PDX1.2) exists in plants, but its role is unknown. Results: PDX1.2 interacts with its catalytic counterparts, enhancing their activity and forming a dodecameric complex induced under abiotic stress. Conclusion: PDX1.2 is a pesudoenzyme that regulates vitamin B 6 biosynthesis under abiotic stress. Significance: This work presents a model for regulation of vitamin B 6 biosynthesis and the existence/significance of pseudoenzymes in plants.

Vitamin B6 is an essential metabolite in all organisms, being required as a cofactor for a wide variety of biochemical reactions. De novo biosynthesis of the vitamin occurs in microorganisms and plants, but animals must obtain it from their diet. Two distinct and mutually exclusive de novo pathways have been identified to date, namely deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate dependent, which is restricted to a subset of eubacteria, and deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate independent, present in archaea, fungi, plants, protista, and most eubacteria. In these organisms, pyridoxal 5#-phosphate (PLP) formation is catalyzed by a single glutamine amidotransferase (PLP synthase) composed of a glutaminase domain, PDX2, and a synthase domain, PDX1. Despite plants being an important source of vitamin B6, very little is known about its biosynthesis. Here, we provide information for Arabidopsis thaliana. The functionality of PDX2 is demonstrated, using both in vitro and in vivo analyses. The expression pattern of PDX2 is assessed at both the RNA and protein level, providing insight into the spatial and temporal pattern of vitamin B6 biosynthesis. We then provide a detailed biochemical analysis of the plant PLP synthase complex. While the active sites of PDX1 and PDX2 are remote from each other, coordination of catalysis is much more pronounced with the plant proteins than its bacterial counterpart, Bacillus subtilis. Based on a model of the PDX1/PDX2 complex, mutation of a single residue uncouples enzyme coordination and in turn provides tangible evidence for the existence of the recently proposed ammonia tunnel through the core of PDX1.