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Substrate specificity of N-methyltransferase involved in purine alkaloids synthesis is dependent upon one amino acid residue of the enzyme

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Abstract

Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) and theobromine (3,7-dimethylxanthine) are the major purine alkaloids in plants. To investigate the diversity of N-methyltransferases involved in purine alkaloid biosynthesis, we isolated the genes homologous for caffeine synthase from theobromine-accumulating plants. The predicted amino acid sequences of N-methyltransferases in theobromine-accumulating species in Camellia were more than 80% identical to caffeine synthase in C. sinensis. However, there was a little homology among the N-methyltransferases between Camellia and Theobroma. The recombinant enzymes derived from theobromine-accumulating plants had only 3-N-methyltransferase activity. The accumulation of purine alkaloids was, therefore, dependent on the substrate specificity of N-methyltransferase determined by one amino acid residue in the central part of the protein.

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Acknowledgements

We deeply thank Dr. Y. Takeda (National Institute of Plant Vegetable and Tea Science) for the generous supply of C. irrawadiensis. We also would like to thank Dr. A. Takeuchi (National Institute of Plant Vegetable and Tea Science) for providing cDNA library of C. sinensis and Mr. Y. Tomoda (Meiji Seika Kaisya Co Ltd.) for the supply of cacao trees. This work is supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (No.14540590 to MK., No.15780076 to KM.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Ochanomizu University, Otsuka, Bunkyo-ku,, 112-8610, Tokyo, Japan

    Naho Yoneyama, Hanayo Morimoto & Misako Kato

  2. School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, China

    Chuang-Xing Ye

  3. Department of Biology, Fuculty of Science, Ochanomizu University, Bunkyo-ku, 112-8610, Tokyo, Japan

    Hiroshi Ashihara

  4. Faculty of Bioresource of Science, Akita Prefectural University, 010-0195, Akita City, Akita, Japan

    Kouichi Mizuno

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  1. Naho Yoneyama
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  2. Hanayo Morimoto
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  3. Chuang-Xing Ye
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  4. Hiroshi Ashihara
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  5. Kouichi Mizuno
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  6. Misako Kato
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Correspondence to Misako Kato.

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Communicated by R. Hagemann

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Yoneyama, N., Morimoto, H., Ye, CX. et al. Substrate specificity of N-methyltransferase involved in purine alkaloids synthesis is dependent upon one amino acid residue of the enzyme. Mol Genet Genomics 275, 125–135 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00438-005-0070-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00438-005-0070-z

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