Characterization of cis-prenyltransferase complexes in guayule (Parthenium argentatum), an alternative natural rubber-producing plant

Abstract

Guayule (Parthenium argentatum) is a perennial shrub in the Asteraceae family and synthesizes a high quality, hypoallergenic cis-1,4-polyisoprene (or natural rubber; NR). Despite its potential to be an alternative NR supplier, the enzymes for cis-polyisoprene biosynthesis have not been comprehensively studied in guayule. Recently, implications of the protein complex involving cis-prenyltransferases (CPTs) and CPT-binding proteins (CBPs) in NR biosynthesis were shown in lettuce and dandelion, but such protein complexes have yet to be examined in guayule. Here we identified four guayule genes – three PaCPTs (PaCPT1-3) and one PaCBP, whose protein products form PaCPT/PaCBP complexes. Co-expression of both PaCBP and each of the PaCPTs could complemented the dolichol (a short cis-polyisoprene)-deficient yeast, whereas the individual expressions could not. Microsomes from the PaCPT/PaCBP-expressing yeast efficiently incorporated 14C-isopentenyl diphosphate into dehydrodolichyl diphosphates. Furthermore, co-immunoprecipitation and split-ubiquitin yeast 2-hybrid assays using PaCPTs and PaCBP confirmed the formation of protein complexes. Of the three PaCPTs, transcriptomics analysis indicated that the protein complex formed by PaCPT3 and PaCBP is likely to be the key component in guayule NR biosynthesis. The comprehensive analyses of these PaCPTs and PaCBP here provide the foundational knowledge to generate a high NR-yielding guayule.

Molecular Studies of the Protein Complexes Involving Cis-Prenyltransferase in Guayule (Parthenium argentatum), an Alternative Rubber-Producing Plant

“…The work made use of facilities provided by the Joint Bioenergy Institute supported by the United States Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, through contract DE-AC02-05CH11231 between Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and the United States Department of Energy. The pre-print version of this article was released to the bioRxiv repository and referenced in this article (Lakusta et al, 2018).…”