Cloning and functional characterization of a monoterpene synthase gene from Eleutherococcus trifoliatus

Abstract

Eleutherococcus trifoliatus also known as the three-leaved Eleutherococcus, a member of the Araliaceae (ginseng) family, is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. Recently, many studies have demonstrated the bioactivities of the secondary metabolites in E. trifoliatus. In this study, a monoterpene synthase from E. trifoliatus has been characterized. A pair of degenerate primers was designed and a fragment with conserved region of terpene synthase (TPS) was obtained. After 5′-and 3′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), the full-length cDNA was obtained. The gene designated EtLIM contains an open reading frame of 1752 bp with a predicated molecular mass of 67.3 kDa. It was expressed in young leaves, stems, and drupes. The product of EtLIM has been identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) as limonene.

Cloning and expression of a sesquiterpene synthase gene from Taiwania cryptomerioides

“…Various terpenes are generated by monoterpene synthases (mono-TPS), sesquiterpene synthases (sesqui-TPS), or diterpene synthases (di-TPS). TPS are the key contributors to the diverse structures of terpenes and are also widely investigated in recent years (Keeling and Bohlmann 2006;Chu et al 2009;Kuo et al 2012;Wen et al 2012;Chien et al 2013;Ma et al 2013;Huang et al 2015).…”